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GARDEN BOOK 

FOR THE 

SOUTHERN STATES 




W, F. MASSEY 



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Massey's Garden Book 

For the Southern States 



By W. F. MASSEY, Sc. D. 



The Progressive Farmer Company 

PUBLISHERS 
Raleigh Birmingham Memphis Dallas 






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y^OD Almighty first planted a garden; 
v-/ and indeed, it is the purest of human 
pleasures; it is the greatest refreshment to 
the spirits of man without which buildings 
and palaces are but gross handiworks; and a 
man shall ever see, that, when ages grow to 
civility and elegancy, men come to build 
stately sooner than to garden finely; as if 
gardening were the greatest perfection. — 
Lord Bacon: Essay on Gardens. 



FEB 14 !9!8 

©CI,A48J7;;l 

COPYRIGHT, 1918, BY 
THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER COMPANY 



'i4.,A^ / 



CONTENTS 

Page 

I_THE GARDEN SOIL AJJD EQUIPMENT 

The Garden Soil 7 

Manuring and Fertilizing 7 

Rotation of Garden Crops 8 

Sashes and Frames 9 

Cold Frames and Hot Beds 11 

Using Sashes and Frames 12 

Small Greenhouses 14 

Garden Implements 15 

n-HOW TO GROW THE VARIOUS VEGETABLES 

ti- Artichokes 18 Kohl-Rabi 36 

f> Asparagus 18 Leek 36 

Beans 20 Lettuce 36 

^eets 22 Mustard 37 

Brussels Sprouts 22 Qkra 37 

^t^^.^^1-- f. Onions 38 



^^ 



c^ 



'v^ Cantaloupes 25 _ . ., 

Carrots 26 Parsnips 41 

Cauliflower 27 Parsley 42 

Celery 28 Peas— Garden 42 

Chard 30 Peppers 44 

Chicory 33 Potatoes— Irish 44 

Collards 30 Radishes 47 

Corn 31 Rhubarb 48 

Cucumber 31 Salsify 48 

Egg Plant 32 Spinach 49 

Endive 33 Squash 49 

Herbs 34 Tomatoes 50 

Horse-Radish 35 Turnips 53 

Kale 35 Watermelons 53 

III- WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN EACH MONTH 

January 55 July 79 

February 59 August 83 

March 61 September 86 

April 65 October 89 

May 71 November 92 

June 75 December 96 

IV-SMALL FRUITS 

Strawberries 98 

Dewberries and Blackberries 99 

Raspberries 100 

Currants and Gooseberries 101 

Grapes 101 

V-PLANT DISEASES AND INSECTS 104 

VI-HANDY REFERENCE TABLES 

Standard Varieties of Vegetables 110 

Storing Vegetables Ill 

Quantities of Seed to 100 Feet of Row Ill 

Number of Plants to Acre 113 

Vegetable Planting Table 114 

Fall and Winter Garden: How to Have One 118 

What to Plant in the Garden Each Month 118 

Plant Diseases and Their Treatment 130 

Insect Enemies and How to Conquer Them 122 

Spraying and Spray Formulas 123 

Bulletins on Garden Crops 124 

Flower Planting Table 125 

HOW TO HAVE A PRETTY LAWN 127 



BLESS THE LITTLE GARDENS 


Lord God in Paradise, 




Trembling and adventuring, 


Look upon our sowing 




A miracle of green. 


Bless the little gardens 




Send such grace 


And the good green growing! 


As you know, 


Give us sun, 




To keep it safe 


Give us rain. 




And make it grow! 


Bless the orchards 






And the grain! 




Lord God in Paradise, 
For the wonder of the seed, 


Lord God in Pa'radise, 




Wondering, we praise you, while 


Please bless the beans 


and peas, 


We tell you of our need. 


Give us corn full on the 


ear — 


Look down from Paradise, 


We will praise thee, 


Lord, for 


Look upon our sowing, 


these! 




Bless the little gardens 


Bless the blossom 




And the good green growing! 


And the root, 




Give us sun. 


Bless the seed 




Give us rain. 


And the fruit! 




Bless the orchards 
And the grain! 


Lord God in Paradise. 




— Louise Driscol, in 


Over my brown field is 


seen. 


New York Times. 



PREFACE 

FOR YEARS past, many readers of The Progressive Farmer 
have been asking me to prepare a garden book. Therefore, 
in the intervals of a very busy life, I have prepared this 
little volume. It is not intended to be a treatise on horticulture, 
but is simply a little handbook for daily guidance in making the 
farm garden. 

I hope it may have some influence in promoting all-the- 
year-round gardening in the South and aid in abolishing the 
old-style garden which is surrendered to weeds and dead corn- 
stalks in the fall ; and will make it possible instead to have gar- 
dens yielding their products without cessation. 

"Hog and hominy" and black-eye peas are good things, but 
they do not furnish the healthful variety of food which the 
garden should enable any farm family to have. A frame and a 
few glass sashes will furnish plenty of lettuce all winter, and 
radishes, too, and the open garden should supply spinach, kale, 
leeks, parsnips, salsify, carrots, cabbages and collards (the latter 
buried where they grew). These, with the stored onions, pota- 
toes (Irish and sweet) and the canned fruits and vegetables of 
summer growth, will give the table of the Southern farmer 
such a bounteous supply of food that he will hardly be able to 
tell the difiference between summer and winter garden. 

With all these things easily available, there is no need for 
the Southern farmer to live all winter on salt pork and bacon, 
corn bread and black-eye peas. So, here's for an "all-the-year- 
garden." 

W. F. Massey. 



I.-THE GARDEN AND ITS EQUIPMENT 

The Garden Soil 

IT SHOULD hardly be necessary to say that the garden soil 
must be well-drained and fertile. A soil inclining more to 
sand than clay, a mellow sandy loam with a clay subsoil, 
is the most desirable character of soil for vegetable growing. 
But the heavy clay soils may be made very productive by getting 
them more mellow through the turning under of vegetable 
growth and the use of heavy applications of stable manure. 

There are three things essential to the germination of 
seed, and if any one of these is absent there will be no germina- 
tion. These essentials are (1) a proper degree of heat, (2) 
moisture and (3) the presence of the oxygen of the air. The 
required degree of heat varies a great deal in different plants. 
The seed of the English pea will germinate when the soil 
is but a few degrees above the freezing point, while seed of 
corn, tomatoes and other tender plants would fail to grow and 
probably perish entirely. All the hardy vegetables will grow at 
a low temperature and hence, as a rule, should be sown early; 
for the more resistant a plant is to cold the more it is liable to 
suffer in our summer heat. 

To push forward the tender plants like tomatoes, egg plant 
and peppers, therefore, we must make the heat needed for their 
growth by artificial means in hotbeds under glass sashes or in 
greenhouses heated by furnace or boiler. 

Manuring and Fertilizing the Garden 

In many old gardens where a liberal quantity of stable 
rtianure has been applied every year, the soil gets an excess of 
nitrogen, and vegetables grown for their underground parts 
run to top and become unproductive. Then the owner says 
that his soil has "gotten too rich to make potatoes," etc. The 
fact is that it has simply gotten unbalanced. The foods mainly 
needed in the making of tubers on the potatoes are phosphorus 
and potassium, and if there is a due supply of these in the soil 
potatoes will be made no matter how large the tops grow. 

7 



8 MASSEY S GARDEN BOOK 

But depending on stable manure alone leads to an excess 
of nitrogen and a rank growth without corresponding produc- 
tion of roots and tubers. The remedy is not to stop the manure, 
but to supply what it mainly lacks. In my own garden I manure 
very heavily in the fall, and in the spring add acid phosphate or 
raw bone meal at rate of 1,000 pounds an acre. 

Where there is not an adequate amount of stable manure, 
about the best general fertilizer we can use is a mixture of equal 
parts of cotton seed meal and acid phosphate. This will give a 
liberal amount of phosphoric acid, and 1 per cent or more of 
potash from the meal. This, if used in liberal quantity, will 
make a good fertilizer for nearly all garden crops. 

The great importance of stable manure is due to its humus- 
making character, and when to this we add all the garden 
refuse which may be rotted down in a heap each year, the soil 
is in the best possible condition to use additional commercial 
fertilizers, because of its greater capacity for retaining moisture 
to dissolve them. 

With a good rotation of humus-making crops in the outer 
truck patch, we can use the commercial fertilizers to advantage 
there and save the stable manure for the garden proper, since 
cowpeas and crimson clover will abundantly supply the humus- 
making material otherwise obtained from the stable manure. 

Rotation of Garden Crops 

Rotation of crops in the garden is just as important as the 
rotation of farm crops. Continuous planting of land in the 
same or similar crops will lead to an increase of the diseases 
and insects peculiar to that crop. As a general rule, with some 
exceptions, crops grozvn for their roots should follow crops 
grown for their tops and vice versa. The only garden crop I 
know which is better grown for some years on the same land is 
onions. Properly manured and cleanly cultivated, onions seem 
to prefer to be kept for several years in the same soil. 

Hence, it is always well to make a planting plan for the 
garden every spring, and keep it for reference the next spring, 
so as to know just where each vegetable was planted the spring 
before — and then what followed it the same summer and fall; 



SASHES AND FRAMES » 

for in the South every garden plan should be for an all-the- 
year-round garden, and without the plan it is hard to keep a 
record of the various plantings. 

Beans and peas, being legumes, will return a considerable 
amount of nitrogen to the soil if their tops are buried after the 
crop is gathered. 

While in the larger truck patch we can alternate the crops 
with legumes like peas and crimson clover, the garden that is 
properly kept at work all the year must depend for its humus 
on heavy applications of manure and the return to the soil of 
all vegetable refuse after it has been rotted in a compost. 

But we can follow the onions that ripen in June with peas 
and turn these under for planting onions again in the fall. In 
this way, with a liberal use of phosphate, the onion land may 
be kept improving. Or if the black-eye peas are not wanted in 
the garden, we can use snap bean vines for digging under after 
srathering- the beans. 



Every Good Gardener Must Have Sashes and Frames 

No garden is complete for year-round work without some 
glass sashes and frames. Cotton cloth on the frames is a poor 
substitute for glass, and in the long run costs more. Frames 
covered with cotton cloth will answer for hardening tender 
plants in the spring, but for regular fall and winter work, the 

glass sashes are far supe- 
f^' rior. 

Sashes are made three 
feet wide and six feet long. 
The best sashes are made of 
clear-heart cypress lumber. 
They are made either for a 
single layer of glass or for 
two layers, the latter mak- 
ing a dead air space between them, and thus causing the sashes 
to be more resistant to cold. 




WM/////////^i 



CLOTH-COVIvRIvD FRAME 



10 



MASSEY S GARDEN BOOK 




DOUBLE-GLASS COVERED FRAME 



The frames for the sashes are made six feet wide and as 

long as needed, being ex- 
tended so as to embrace as 
many 3x6 feet units as are 
wanted. Market gardeners 
make them of inch lumber 
nailed to posts set in the 
ground, the back or north 
side being about 12 inches high and the front or south side 10 
inches. For the home garden I have found it better to use 
small portable frames so that it is easy to repeat a crop by 
simply moving the frame to a fresh spot. My frames are 
made for three of the 3x6 feet sashes. Between each pair of 
sashes a 1 x 3 inch crossbar is dovetailed into the sides of the 
frame, but not nailed, so that it can be slipped out in preparing 
the soil of the frame or in making a hotbed. In the middle of 
this crossbar is nailed a half-inch strip as a parting strip, mak- 
ing a slide for the sashes. 

Marketmen use no crossbar, merely resting the sashes on 
the sides of the frame. But this necessitates a man on each 
side of the frame to move a sash, while with the slides one man 
can easily open the frame by sliding the sash up or down. 

SINGLE-GLASS FRAME 




^__^ ._ — Prom Clemson College Bulletin. 

Single Glass Frame— This illustration shows a hotbed which is amply large for the 
iamily garden. The frame will accommodate four sash. The frame is. 6x!3 ft. 



COLD FRAMES AND HOT BEDS H 

The double-glazed sashes are far more costly than the sin- 
gle-glazed ones and are heavier to handle. But with a frame 
well banked with earth on the outside, and the crossbars 
to stop the cracks between the sashes, no frost will get inside at 
a zero temperature, and we can grow things in the dead of win- 
ter that will be hard to grow with single sashes unless well 
covered at night with straw mats. 

In the early use of the double-glazed sashes, one great dif- 
ficulty appeared. The dust would inevitably blow in between 
the layers of glass and would so obscure it that the sashes be- 
came almost useless because of being so darkened. This diffi- 
culty has been solved in the Callahan duo-glazed sashes, which 
are made so that it is easy to remove a pane or two of glass 
and wash the interior. The weight of the duo-glazed sashes is 
also an advantage, for light sashes are often blown ofif the 
frames in high winds. 

"Cold Frames" and "Hotbeds" ; How Distinguished — The 
frame and sashes when used simply on a bed of fertile soil con- 
stitute what is called a "cold frame." Cold frames get no heat 
except from the sun. A frame under which there is a deep bed 
of fermenting manure is called a "hotbed." 

Hotbeds are used for starting tender plants of such things 
as tomatoes, egg plant and pepper in late winter so as to get 
the products earlier than otherwise could be done. It is well 
to have several frames of the three-sash size, as they can be 
used either as cold frames or on hotbeds, as needed. 

To make a hotbed, dig a pit 20 inches deep and 6 inches 
wider each way than the frame that is to be used on it. Then 
pile a lot of fresh manure nearby, and when it begins to steam, 
turn it over and repile it. Then, when it heats again, put it into 
the pit, tramping and packing it down firmly until the pit is 
filled. Then place the frame on it and bank all around the Out- 
side with manure. 

In the frame put 4 inches of fine compost as used in 
frames. Stick a thermometer in this, and put on the sashes 
with a little opening at the top, and watch the rise of heat. Do 
not sow the seed when the first rank heat is on, but wait until it 
begins to decline. When it has fallen to 85 degrees, you can 
sow the seed. 



12 massey's garden book 

One of the principal uses of the cold frame is for growing 
head lettuce in fall, winter and early spring. They can also be 
used for blooming the flowering bulbs in winter, blooming vio- 
lets clear of frost, and should also be used for hardening ofif 
the tender plants started in the hotbed, since it is never well to 
transplant directly from hotbed to open ground. 

Using Sashes and Frames 

It may be well to indicate in a concrete way just how 
frames are used : 

Lettuce in Cold Frames — In the fall one or more frames 
are planted in lettuce. Seed of the Big Boston lettuce are sown 
early in September, and in October are set 8x10 inches apart 
in frames. The soil in the frames is made of a compost of 
manure and grass sods which has been cut in early spring and 
built up in layers with fresh manure. During the summer the 
pile has been cut down and replied twice till the compost has 
well rotted. At each turning a goodly amount of raw bone 
meal has been sprinkled through the heap. This compost is 6 
inches deep in the frames. 

During the growth of the lettuce a light sprinkling of ni- 
trate of soda is made between the rows, and the frames are 
kept well watered. The sashes are not put on till the nights 
get frosty, and in all sunny weather air is given by slipping 
down the sashes more or less. This crop comes off about 
Christmas or New Year's. 

If it is desirable to replant the same sashes with lettuce, a 
fresh spot is manured, and the frame removed and set with 
plants that have been sown later or sown in another frame in 
October. 

Beets and Radishes — Or the frame can now be freshly fer- 
tilized and at once replanted with beets and radishes, using seed 
of the Early Egyptian beet and the turnip-rooted radish, mak- 
ing the rows G inches apart and planting alternately beets and 
radishes. The radishes will come out by February and the 
beets will have 13-inch rows and should be thinned to 3 inches 
or more apart. 



USING SASHES AND FRAMES 



13 



Early in March the beets are gradually exposed to the air 
and by the middle of the month the frame is removed to an- 
other place to be used in transplanting the tomato plants that 
have been started in a hotbed or greenhouse, so that they can 
be grown strong and hardened off for transplanting to the open 
garden in April. 

Cauliflozver in Frames — In October another frame can be 
prepared in a similar manner, and cauliflower plants from seed 
sown in September set six plants to a sash. The space between 
these is then set with a close-heading lettuce like the Tennis 
Ball or Belmont. This lettuce, too, will come out by the first 
of January, and the cauliflower let grow, and aided by applica- 
tions of nitrate of soda, will be getting up near the glass by 
March. Then, like the beets, they are hardened off and the 
frame removed by the middle of the month, for it is necessary 
to transplant tomato and other tender plants into the frames in 
order to get them strong and hardy. As already said, it is 
never well to transplant to the open ground directly from a 
hotbed. 

Tomatoes — To start tomatoes for early fruiting, the hot- 
bed should be made and sown ten weeks before it is safe to set 
plants in the open ground in your section. Then by the middle 
of March usually the plants will be large enough to transplant 
into cold frames. In the frames we set them 4 inches apart 
each way and deeper than they grew in the hotbed, and then 
give close attention to airing and watering. Sometime before it 
is time to set them out, we gradually expose them to the air to 
harden the plants. I like always to get tomato plants so hard- 
ened that the stems are dark purplish instead of bright green. 
This is a sign of hardiness and the plants will stand exposure 
better than if kept so warm that the stems remain a bright 
green. 

Miscellaneous Uses for Frames — Other plants can be for- 
warded in the cold frames. By filling 4-inch pots or even 
strawberry boxes with good compost and packing them in the 
frames, planting seed of cucumbers, cantaloupes, watermelons, 
lima beans and other things in the boxes or pots direct, they 
can then be transplanted when the weather is warm without 
disturbing the roots. 



14 massey's garden book 

In the hotbed, after the tomatoes are transplanted to the 
frames, seed of egg plant and peppers can be sown, and these 
transplanted later, for the time for sowing tomatoes is too early 
for the egg plant, which need more heat and sunlight. And 
except for the market gardener the peppers are not needed so 
very early, I usually start egg plant and peppers in March. 

Value of a Small Greenhouse 

Every home garden would be better fitted for work by 
having a little greenhouse in which to start the spring plants 
early and to have some flowers in winter. I have one of the 
smallest. This is a little house attached to the rear of my of- 
fice, and into which I can walk in two steps from the desk 
where I write. It is only G feet wide and 10 feet long. In the 
cellar, under the office, is a little hot water boiler and from this 
the hot water flows in a horizontal coil of six pipes, each 9 feet 
long, hanging under the table in the greenhouse. The whole 
affair including the boiler and piping did not cost more than 
$100. It is a convenient place to work and saves the making 
of a hotbed. One hod of coal runs it for a day and maintains 
a heat of 60 degrees on cold nights. In fall and winter I grow 
flowers in it, and in February start my tomato seed in a shallow 
box there, and pot them in little 2i/2-inch pots, later transplant- 
ing them to the frames outside to get strong and hardy. In 
this way I get ripe tomatoes early in June. The egg plants and 
peppers, too, are started there in March and potted off. 

Almost any farm garden could have such a little house for 
the early plants and the flowers, and it is far more convenient 
than stooping over a frame or hotbed in the cold outside. One 
can also make sure of the temperature. The little boiler is 
filled up with coal at bedtime, after getting the pipes hot, and 
the draft slowed down. No matter how cold, I never look at 
it till the next morning and always find it all right. 

Devoted entirely to early vegetable plants, a greenhouse as 
small as this will furnish plants enough for twenty-five sashes 
on the frames in spring. It is always a great pleasure to get 
ahead of others with the early garden products, and in my case 
I grow a great many tomato and egg plants ,etc., that meet with 



^ GARDEN IMPLEMENTS 

r^ady sale and about pay the expenses of growing my plants 
atid flowers. I have grown cucumbers in winter and tomatoes 
and snap beans in mid-winter, and have sold the tomatoes for 
25 cents a pound and the cucumbers from 75 cents to $1 per 
dozen. For lettuce we do not need the heated houses they use 
in the North because we can grow it just as well in the cold 
frames under glass, but tomatoes and cucumbers and snap beans 
need a warm house. 

With such a little greenhouse and plenty of sashes on the 
portable frames such as I have described one can do much to 
keep the garden profitably at work all the year round. Then 
by gradually learning the use of a heated glass structure one 
may find that it will pay to build larger and grow some forced 
products that will sell profitably. 

Few people in the South realize the vast extent in which 
vegetables are forced in winter in the North. All along the 
Lake Shore region in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio and New York 
there are immense ranges of greenhouses devoted to the grow- 
ing of lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc., in winter. Talking 
with one of the growers at Cleveland, Ohio, who has twelve 
acres, of which six are covered with heated glass structures, he 
told me that his gross sales from those twelve acres amounted 
to $30,000 annually, and after paying the heavy expense of 
heating six acres by steam, and paying a force of skilled hands, 
he cleared $10,000 a year. Some day this business may de- 
velop in the upper South, where the local conditions are far 
better than in the North, because we have more sunshine in 
winter and less cold. 

Garden Implements 

Out in the general truck patch where the Irish and sweet 
potatoes, cantaloupes and watermelons are grown, we can use 
the horse or mule and the usual farm implements. But in the 
garden proper we plant too close and keep the ground so con- 
tinually occupied that there is often no room for the horse. 

In my garden the vacant spaces only come here and there 
and are soon dug up again and replanted. Then, too, I cover 
the whole soil with manure in the fall and in the spring add 



16 



MASSEY S GARDEN BOOK 



liberally of acid phosphate sowed broadcast. Hence, we must 
make every foot pay, and cannot have room for any four-footed 
animal. 

Even when grown by the acre, there are some crops, like 
onions, that do not pay to plant wide enough for horse cultiva- 
tion, since the heaviest sort of fertilization is demanded and 
the onion crop is one that demands that the grower get right 
down on knees and constantly pull every spear of grass and 
every weed from the rows by hand. 

Therefore, we need hand implements in the garden, and 
these are now so plentiful that no one can afford to garden with 



GARDEN WHEEL PLOW 
WITH ATTACHMENTS 

No one knows until he has tried it 
how much more rapidly and satis- 
factorily a garden can be cultivated 
with a wheel plow than with old 
fashioned hoes. 




the old-fashioned hoe. The garden plow, with a single wheel, 
is a very useful implement. It is simply a little plow with a 
wheel ahead, and is also very useful in running out rows for 
planting, and one can usually get expert enough with it to run 
a straight row without a line. 

Then there are garden seed drills which do very good work. 
Some of these used by onion growers sow two rows at once. 
Others are combined machines being drills and cultivators both. 



GARDEN IMPLEMENTS 



17 



My own preference is for a drill that is used for drilling alone, 
and while the two-wheel cultivators are good, we can run closer 
to the rows and do better work with a cultivator having one 
high wheel. I have found that the low wheels will sometimes 
push in light and well-prepared soil instead of turning. 

I have used the Norcross cultivator hoes several years, and 
while I have a two-wheel cultivator, I find that I am more apt 
to use the cultivator hoe, which now has been attached to a 
wheel after the style of the garden plow. With the handled 
cultivator hoe, one works backwards pulling it, and hence leaves 
no tracks as in pushing the wheel cultivator. 

I use the garden plow always for laying off rows and sel- 
dom use a garden line, as I can usually sight and run a straight 
row. If you want to have a real garden and one that it is a 
pleasure to cultivate, do not depend on the old cotton hoe, but 
get the improved garden implements which will enable you to 
do the work easily and in far less time than with a hoe. 



II.— HOW TO GROW THE VARIOUS VEGETABLES 

Artichokes 

THERE are two very different species of plants grown un- 
der the common name of artichoke. Cynara Scolymus 
is the Globe artichoke. It is a hardy perennial plant, 
which is increased either by suckers or seed. The part of the 
plant eaten is the unopened flower head. The other species is 
Helianthus Tuberosa, called Jerusalem artichoke. Its tubers 
resemble to some extent those of the Irish potato, and are 
often made into pickles, and more generally planted for hogs 
to gather in winter. Patches of these are often found as weeds 
in old gardens. 

Asparagus 

From time immemorial the practice has been to sow seed 
of asparagus in nursery rows and transplant them to the per- 
manent bed after one year's growth. The transplanting of any 
plant is a check to its growth, and retards to some extent its 
development. I proved many years ago that the transplanting 
of asparagus roots is not only needless, but retards the crop a 
year, at least. Then it is far more costly to buy, or grow, roots 
for transplanting than it is to grow the plants from the seed 
right where they are to remain. 

One reason for the general practice of transplanting has 
been the idea that the roots must be very deep in the ground, 
so that the shoots can be cut well below the ground with a 
long white portion. But the consumers have found out that 
this asparagus, partly white, is always hard and tough below the 
ground, and the demand has increased for the tender green 
shoots, which we all know are tender. 

It is well, however, to get the roots well into the ground 
since in their growth the tendency is to get nearer and nearer 
the surface. But it is far cheaper and better to grow the crop 
from seed sown right where the bed is to remain. It is better 
because you can get cuttings from the undisturbed roots a year 
sooner than you can from the transplanting. A good deal haj 



ASPARAGUS 19 

been written about varieties of asparagus, but the main thing 
in getting fat shoots is heavy manuring. Feed, more than va- 
riety, makes the asparagus good. It will grow after a fashion 
in poor soil, but will not make big stout shoots. 

Being a permanent crop_, occupying the ground for many 
years, the location of the asparagus bed should be at one end 
of the garden out of the way of the annual crops and along with 
the rhubarb and other perennial crops. For an ordinary family 
two or three rows about 50 feet long will furnish an abundance 
in season. 

Prepare the bed by very deep breaking, stuffing with stable 
manure and acid phosphate very liberally. Then make trenches 
15 inches deep and 3^^ to 4 feet apart. Fill these half full of 
fine well-rotted manure. Cover with 1 or 2 inches of soil and 
sow the seed thinly in rows in February or March. 

As the plants get a few inches high, thin them to 3 feet 
apart in the rows, and gradually work the soil to them as they 
grow, till level. Keep cleanly cultivated all summer, and twice 
apply a side dressing of nitrate of soda at the rate of 150 
pounds an acre. In the fall cut off the dead tops, and cover the 
whole bed with stable manure, reinforced with acid phosphate, 
and when potash is available add a good dressing of kainit. 

In the spring dig all this in and cultivate as before and fer- 
tilize. The next spring you can begin cutting. In fact, I have 
cut a little of very good size the first spring after sowing the 
seed, but not much should be cut then. Every fall cover the 
bed with the manure and acid phosphate, and kainit, when the 
latter is to be had. Stop cutting by June 10th and then culti- 
vate clean and fertilize to get strong crowns for the next sea- 
son. After the second season many shoots will appear that 
make seed, and in the fall it is best to cut the tops and burn 
them so that there will not be a growth of volunteer plants to 
thicken up the bed. 

As to varieties, the only choice is one that is less subject 
to blight than others, and I have found the Palmetto more re- 
sistant to the rust or blight than any other. If blight appears, 
spray with bordeaux mixture every spring before any^ signs of 
the disease appear. And always remember that heavy feeding 
and clean cultivation are essential to getting big asparagus. 



20 massey's garden book 

There is an old idea that salt is very useful on asparagus. 
I suppose this comes from the fact of its naturally growing 
along the salt water. But if you can give it some kainit every 
fall that will carry all the salt that may be of any use. With- 
out the kainit, it may be well to use some salt in the fall to aid 
in dissolving plant food for the spring. 

Beans 

Bush Beans — There are a great many varieties of snap or 
string beans offered by the seedsmen, but two or three sorts will 
be all that are needed in the family garden. Beans, being ten- 
der, are better planted after the soil has gotten warm. But I 
always take some risk by planting a row early in April. Of 
course, in the lower South they are planted earlier, but where 
liable to returns of frost in spring it is better to postpone the 
general planting till there is no further risk on this account. 

For the earliest, I plant a row of the Black Valentine. 
While there are better varieties, this one stands more chilly 
weather than any I have tried. If frost threatens after the 
beans are up, I take my garden hand-plow and throw the soil 
over them till the cold passes, and then rake it off. 

It is a good plan in planting the earliest beans to throw up 
east-and-west ridges and plant the row of beans along the south 
side of these. The ridges will then shelter them from the cold 
winds. In a garden where stable manure has been used freely, 
the only fertilizer the beans will need is some acid phosphate. 
Be sure to get healthy seed from a first-class seedsman, for 
there are a great many seed sold that are affected with an- 
thracnose. 

The best green-podded bean I have tried is the Burpee 
Green Pod Stringless. In my home garden I plant a row of 
these .50 feet long and then another row as soon as the first 
planted row is up, and so on during the whole summer till the 
middle of August, so as to have a regular succession, and 
plenty of green pods when frost comes, which can be canned 
or packed down in brine in stone jars for winter use. A pint 
of seed will plant a 50-foot row. I make the rows 2 feet apart. 

Some like the yellow or wax podded varieties. Of these 



BEANS 21 

the Celestial is one of the best. It keeps bearing longer than 
most varieties. The Wardwell wax bean is also good. 

Pole Beans — There are a number of good varieties of snap 
beans that need poles or some other support. I grow these on 
chicken wire netting which is attached to posts at the ends and 
middle of the rows. One of the best varieties is the Berger 
Green Pod Stringless. If the pods are gathered promptly and 
not allowed to ripen, this variety will bear clear through the 
summer till frost. The pods are flat and the seeds are white 
and are good when dry. Kentucky Wonder is also a good 
variety. 

Bush Lima Beans — The first of the bush lima beans orig- 
inated in Campbell County, Virginia, and was afterwards sent 
out by Henderson and Company as "Henderson's Bush Lima." 
This variety belongs to the small lima or butter bean class. It 
is earlier than the pole variety and can be grown just like snap 
beans. Since the appearance of the Henderson Bush Lima 
Bean, there have been a number of varieties introduced. The 
best now on the market are varieties of the potato lima, and the 
latest and best is the Fordhook Bush Lima Bean. I plant these 
in rows 2^^ feet apart and drop the seed 6 inches apart. This 
variety makes large pods of very large beans when green, 
though the dry seed look small. They are continuous bearers, 
and usually are full of bloom and green pods when cut down 
by frost. 

Pole Lima Beans — The large white lima bean is generally 
rather unproductive in the South. The small lima, or butter 
bean, is far more prolific and to my taste a better bean. There 
is another class of the lima beans, the large, thick-seeded sorts, 
or potato limas. Of this class the Dreer is best. The com- 
mon method of growing these beans is to set poles for them 
to climb on, but I prefer to use the chicken wire netting. A 
5-foot width of this stretched to posts with the lower edge a 
foot from the ground will give plenty of space for the beans, 
which are planted a foot apart. 



22 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

Beets 

Early Beets — Those who have frames and sashes can have 
beets very early. After cutting the Christmas and New Year's 
crop of lettuce from a frame about January 10th, I add more 
fertilizer to the soil and sow Egyptian beets and scarlet turnip 
radishes in rows 6 inches apart. Attention must, of course, be 
given to airing in sunny weather, and if the single-glazed 
sashes are used there should be some means for covering the 
sashes on very cold nights. Pinestraw will answer very well 
for this if well cleaned off after the cold passes. The radishes 
grow fast and soon come oft" so that the beets have the foot 
rows. Then by the first of March the frame can be removed 
to another place to be used for hardening off the early tomato 
plants. The beets will then stand any frost we are apt to have, 
and you can be pulling beets about the time other people are 
sowing. 

Then for planting early beets in the open ground, use a 
high-grade fertilizer in the furrows and bed on it. Flatten the 
beds slightly and sow the seed thinly. Sow in February, and if 
not caught by a freeze in the seed leaf, they will stand the frost 
after they get the rough leaf. For this sowing I prefer to use 
the Eclipse and the old Bassano. The Bassano is a light-col- 
ored beet and has a big top, and hence is not preferred by the 
market growers. But it is the sweetest beet grown. The Eclipse 
is a good red. The Egyptian is the earliest, but soon gets poor 
in quality, hence I use it only for sowing in the frames. 

Late Beets — For winter use the seed should be sown about 
the middle of July. At this time I use the blood turnip beet of 
a good strain or the Half-Long Dark Blood. Use commercial 
fertilizer only, and use it liberally, for stable manure is apt to 
cause beets to grow forked. The late beets are planted in rows 
20 inches apart ; and in the late fall I throw a furrow to each 
side of the rows and let them remain where they grew all win- 
ter, taking them up as needed. 

Brussels Sprouts 

This is a plant of the cabbage family which makes an open 
head and a tall stalk, and the whole stalk is lined with little 



CABBAGE 



23 



heads about the size of a small walnut. They are very nice 
after frost has struck them. In the North they can be grown 
for summer use, but after repeated trials I have found that it 
is useless to try to head them in summer in the South. Hence 
the best time to start them is to sow the seed in late July, and 
transplant like late cabbages or collards. Then the little heads 
will be ready in November. 

Cabbage 

Barly Cabbage — While there have been many varieties of 
extra early cabbages introduced by seedsmen under various 
names, the standard early cabbage is still the Early Jersey 
Wakefield. A somewhat later and larger variety has been se- 
lected from this and called Charleston Wakefield. Recently 
there has been an early cabbage, with a more rounded and 
dome-shaped head, introduced from Denmark under the name 
of Copenhagen Market Cabbage. This is about as early as 
the Charleston Wakefield and somewhat larger in the head. 
But it has been found that this variety is not suited for fall sow- 
ing and wintering over for spring heading, for it will invariably 
run to seed in spring instead of heading. Hence the best way 
to grow this variety is by sowing the seed in a cold frame un- 
der glass in February and using it as a succession to the Early 
Jersey Wakefield. 

The so-called "frost proof" plants advertised so extensively 
are simply fall-sown plants wintered in the South for spring 
sales. Formerly it was a common practice north to sow the 
seed of the early Wakefield the middle of September, and trans- 
plant the plants thickly into cold frames to winter over for 
spring setting. Now that they can be wintered more cheaply in 
the South this practice has largely been abandoned. 

I usually make two sowings in the fall, one about the mid- 
dle of September and another in early October. In a long, 
late growing season, the first sowing may get too large ; for 
while we want good plants we do not want overgrown ones 
which will be apt to run to seed in the spring. 

For growing the plants we need light, well-drained and 
fertile soil, and need to use manure or fertilizer liberally in the 



24 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

furrows. Make the furrows 3 feet apart, and use in them a 
fertiHzer high in nitrogen and phosjihoric acid and very little 
potash. Use this at rate of 1,000 or more pounds an acre. Then 
bed on this and run the furrows and the beds east and west. 
Run a furrow through the bed and set the plants 15 inches 
apart in this open furrow, being sure to set them deep enough 
to cover the whole stem, for if the stem bursts as a result of 
frost the plant will be worthless even if it lives. 

I have found that this setting in open furrows in No- 
vember is better than setting on the south side of a ridge, as 
has been the practice, for in that position the warm spells in 
winter will excite the plants into growth, and a return of cold 
may kill them. What we want is to keep them dormant till 
spring. Then the plants set in the open furrows will be found 
fairly on the surface when the soil is worked away from them 
and cultivation begun. Then in spring, after the soil is lev- 
eled, an application of nitrate of soda alongside the plants when 
dry, and not touching the leaves, will greatly promote a rapid 
growth and early heading. 

Summer Cabbage — Sow seed of the Copenhagen Market 
Cabbage in early February in a cold frame under glass or cloth, 
and set the plants as early in spring as the soil can be worked. 
Use the same heavy fertilization in the furrows and bed on it. 
Then flatten the beds and set the plants about 18 to 30 inches 
apart in 3-foot rows, as they need a little more room than the 
Early Wakefield. Then for still later use sow seed in the open 
bed early in spring of the Fottler Brunswick Cabbage. This is 
a very short-stemmed drumhead which will, under good culti- 
vation, make heavy heads in September. This planting will need 
soil naturally moist and should never be allowed to sufifer from 
lack of moisture in summer. 

Winter C'abbacie — Contrary to the general opinion we can 
grow good, large-headed cabbages in the South when properly 
attended to. Sow seed of a good strain of the Late Flat Dutch 
cabbage the middle of July. Then see that the seed bed never 
lacks for water, but keep the plants growing well and get good 
strong plants. Set these in late August in rows 3 feet apart and 
3 feet apart in the rows. Moist bottom land will be a favorable 
location for them or land that can be artificially irrigated, for 



CANTALOUPES 25 

plenty of moisture is essential to success. In fact, collards 
grown in the same way will be of a far superior character to 
those planted earlier and allowed to take chances and run up 
great stalks and poor heads. Rapid cultivation is essential, and 
nelping with nitrate of soda is also needed. These, in order to 
keep well, should head not earlier than late November or early 
December. 

There is never sufficient cold to damage cabbages before 
some time in December. When real cold threatens, turn the 
heads of the cabbages over towards the north, and then pile the 
earth over the stem and the lower part of the head, leaving the 
top exposed and sheltered from the winter sunshine by being 
towards the north. They will keep very well in this condition, 
as the stem and the lower part of the head are the tender parts. 
The heads can be cut during the winter, and the stalks left, as 
these will sprout in the spring and make early greens for boiling. 

Cantaloupes 

These are now very largely grown for shipment north, 
especially by truck growers on the Peninsula of Maryland, Del- 
aware and Virginia, where thousands of acres are annually 
planted. The practice in this region is to plow and prepare the 
land early in January, and run out rows 5 feet apart. These 
furrows are then half filled with stable manure brought on cars 
from New York City. This manure is then allowed to lie and 
rot till planting time in April. Then about 500 pounds of high- 
grade fertilizer per acre is added and bedded on, the ridges 
slightly flattened and the seed drilled in on them with a garden 
seed drill. 

When a good stand is secure the plants are thinned to 
about 20 inches apart. For additional fertilizer about a table- 
spoonful of nitrate of soda is scattered around each hill. To 
avoid danger of injuring the plants this should be done when 
the leaves are dry. The crop is then cleanly cultivated till the 
vines are in the way. As the melons form, the whole field is 
sown to crimson clover to make a winter cover after the crop 
is off. 

In garden culture I have found it best to give the whole 



26 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

area a heavy covering of manure in the late fall. Then in spring 
in planting melons or cucumbers, I run out furrows and use 
raw bone meal in them at the rate of about 1,000 pounds an 
acre. I then bed on this with my garden hand-plow, and sow 
the seed in a row, thinning out to 20 inches in the rows. I 
find that they do a great deal better with the broadcast manur- 
ing than by having a body of manure immediately under the 
plants, which often interferes with them in dry weather. But 
since putting sprinkling pipes over my garden I am independent 
of the rains. The cantaloupes grown by the marketmen are 
universally of the Rocky Ford type. The strain known as Bur- 
rell's Eden Gem is most commonly used. The cantaloupes are 
shipped in crates known as 4o's — that is, they hold just 45 can- 
taloupes of the average size. The larger ones called Jumbos 
are shipped in the same crates but in smaller number, of course. 
This variety is also good for family use, but there are also other 
desirable varieties for the home garden. Personally, I have a 
liking for the salmon-fleshed varieties like Paul Rose, Osage, 
Emerald Gem and Tait's Ideal. The Emerald Gem has dark 
green skin and very thick orange-salmon flesh, and is one of the 
best varieties. 

The earliest cantaloupe is the Jenny Lind. It is a small 
melon ribbed and flattened at the ends and often with a sort of 
button on the end. It is largely grown by the New Jersey grow- 
ers. It is of fine eating quality. The Montreal Market is the 
largest of cantaloupes, often weighing 18 to 20 pounds. It is 
largely grown in hotbeds in Canada and imported to this coun- 
try at a high price in late summer. I have grown it here, but 
have never found it of good quality. 

Never let a cantaloupe stay on the vine to turn yellow, but 
pull it as soon as the stem starts easily from the vine. Pulled 
before this, they will not sweeten well, while if allowed to get 
yellow they lose flavor. 

Carrots 

Carrots are not so much grown in the South as they should 
be. The large varieties, grown for stock feeding, are very use- 
ful in winter where the farmer has no silo, helping greatly in 
keeping up the winter milk supply and adding color to butter 



CAULIFLOWER 



27 



in winter. The shorter and earlier varieties vary from the little 
forcing sorts (which can be grown in cold frames in spring 
like radishes), on to the half -long, stump-rooted varieties for 
winter use. 

These last, of which the best is the Danvers Half-Long, 
are sown in rows 16 inches apart in the garden in late June or 
early July. Thin to 3 inches apart in the rows and in the fall 
let them remain where they grew and they can be dug for use 
all winter, though the frost may destroy most of the tops. They 
are nice in soups and boiled as a table vegetable. These, like 
other root crops, make smoother and better roots when well 
supplied with commercial fertilizer rather than stable manure, 
which is apt to cause them to grow forked, unless the manure 
is very old and fine. For stock feeding grow the Long Orange 
variety in the open truck patch and plant wide enough apart for 
horse cultivation. 

Cauliflower 

To grow cauliflower successfully it must mature very early 
in spring or very late in the fall. If the spring plants do not 
head before the weather gets hot they will seldom head at all. 
In the lower South, the seed can be sown in the fall, just as we 
sow early cabbage seed, and set out to head in the spring. But 
in the upper South, the plants do not stand the winter as well 
as cabbages, and for this reason need to be grown in frames. 
I believe that our market growers who use frames for lettuce 
growing could make the cauliflower more profitable than lettuce 
by setting the plants in the frames in the fall and protecting 
them either by glass or cloth. 

I have grown cauliflower with perfect success under glass 
sashes. My frames were the usual 6 feet wide frames with 
sashes 3x6 feet. I planted six cauliflower plants to each sash 
and filled in between them with lettuce for heading at Christ- 
mas. After the lettuce was cut out, the cauliflower plants were 
given clean cultivation and some nitrate of soda sprinkled be- 
tween them. By the first of March they were getting up to the 
glass and were gradually inured to the air, the sashes being re- 
moved entirely by the middle of March and transferred to other 
frames for hardening ofif the early tomato plants. By this 
method the cauliflower headed well in April and early May. 



28 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

This gives a treble use for the glass and a profitable crop 
of both lettuce and cauliflowers. The difficulty in getting a 
late fall crop in the open ground is the carrying of the plants 
through the hot weather. The best plan will be to have the 
plants grown in the North and set them in September in soil 
made very rich and naturally retentive of moisture. When 
well grown they can be headed in November and make fine 
heads. 

Cauliflower seed is mainly grown in Denmark, and the 
variety known as Snowball is the best and earliest. 

Broccoli — For the fall crop the plant similar to cauliflower 
called "Broccoli" is often used for home consumption. But it 
is not adapted to shipping, because the heads do not keep like 
those of the cauliflower, but wilt and get bitter after cutting. 

Celery 

The cultivation of celery varies with the climate. In the 
North, as at Kalamazoo, Michigan, truckers can grow celery, 
by starting the plants early in hotbeds under glass, and mature 
it in summer and early fall. This cannot be done in the South. 
Then in the far South, as in Florida, the crop is grown entirely 
as a winter crop from fall-sown seed. In the middle and upper 
South about the only celery crop available is that which comes 
into use about Christmas and New Year's. 

To grow this crop, sow seed on a well-prepared bed on 
lines marked out on the surface about G inches apart. Sow in 
early May. Merely pat the seed in with the back of a spade, 
but do not cover. Then cover the bed with fertilizer sacks 
and water well on these. This will retain the moisture at the 
surface and prevent crusting. Then, as the seed germinate, the 
sacks must be lifted up gradually and finally removed, after 
which the plants must be kept clean of weeds. As soon as the 
plants are large enough to handle they should be transplanted to 
another bed in similar rows, but set 2 inches apart, to get 
strongly re-rooted. If the tops grow too strongly they can be 
sheared somewhat. This will give strong plants for setting in 
late August. 



CELERY 



29 



In most places celery is planted in single rows 4 feet apart 
and each row earthed to itself. But in the South the best method 
is to use what is known as the "Baltimore bed method"; for 
when grown in single rows it is necessary to take up the plants 
and finish the blanching in trenches, while the bed method in- 
volves no lifting till the celery is taken up for use. 

I always plant celery as a succession crop after some early 
crop like cabbage, beans, etc. If the soil has been heavily ma- 
nured for the early crop I would use only acid phosphate and 
cotton seed meal mixed equally for the celery crop. For set- 
ting the plants, first prepare a board a foot wide and 6 feet 
long with the ends accurately squared. Cut notches on both 
edges of this board 6 inches apart. This will make eleven 
notches. Then stretch a line taut alongside the bed to be 
planted. Set the planting board square with this line at one 
end, and set a plant at each notch. Then move the board to 
match with the last set plants and set another row, and so on 
till the whole bed is set. Where more than one bed is to be 
planted, leave a space of 8 feet between the beds for earthing. 
You will now have a bed with plants set in rows across the bed 
a foot apart and 6 inches in the rows. All to be done now is to 
keep the bed well cultivated and clean of weeds and grass till 
the time comes for setting up or handling the crop. This is 
done when the outer leaves grow heavy and are inclined to fall 
over. 

Then we prepare two cords about ten feet long with a peg 
attached to each end. Set a peg at the end of the first row and 
take a turn of the string around each plant in the row to hold 
the leaves up, and stick the other peg at the far end. Treat 
the second row in the same way. Then shovel in soil between 
these two rows and pack it close to the plants to keep the stems 
erect. Go over the whole bed in this way. 

Then as the nights get cool you can commence the earth- 
ing. Put soil between the rows just so as to keep the growing 
centre of the plants above the soil, but take care to get no soil 
into the head. Carry up the earth on the sides of the bed 6 
inches beyond the ends of the rows, making the bed full 6 feet 
wide. Continue the earthing as the plants grow, taking care 
never to work in the celery when the leaves are wet. Finally, 



30 massey's garden book 

by the last of November or early December, when the weather 
promises to get really cold, cover the entire bed with earth 6 
inches deep, and then cover it thickly all over with pine straw, 
and you can take out the celery as wanted in winter. 

Chard 

Tiiis is a variety of beet which makes an immense growth 
of tops, but no edible roots. They are planted early in spring 
and are in use all through the summer. I sow them in rows 
rather thickly and as soon as the leaves are large enough I thin 
them out and use the thinnings for greens and no one could dis- 
tinguish these young leaves from spinach. Thin them to 6 
inches apart and then all through the summer the outer leaves 
may be pulled and the blades of the leaves boiled for greens. 
The leaf stalks, which are nearly as large as rhubarb, can be 
cooked and served like asparagus, thus getting two nice dishes 
all summer from the same plant. There are a number of varie- 
ties, but I have found that the Lucullus is the best. 

Collards 

While I have no sort of objection to eating well-grown 
collards, I prefer to grow good hard-headed cabbages, and these 
can be grown in the South, as I have shown, by sowing the seed 
at the proper time and giving the crops the richest of soil and 
abundance of water during growth. Collards will stand more 
abuse, however, than cabbage, but they thrive better if given as 
good cultivation and attention as cabbages. 

Started in July you can make short-stemmed and thrifty 
plants by late November, which will keep better in winter than 
the earlier planted collards. Treat them in the fall just as I 
have advised for late cabbage. That is, turn them over with 
head to the north and bank the soil over the stems and base of 
the head, and they will blanch nicely for winter use. 

Like all the cabbage tribe, collards are best when well fed. 
Manure heavily and give some nitrate of soda to urge a rapid 
growth, and they will be far superior to half -starved, poorly 
cultivated plants. But if you will grow some Drumhead Savoy 
cabbage I do not think that you will want any collards. 



CORN — CUCUMBER 31 

Corn 

The early varieties of sugar corn seldom amount to much 
in the South. In fact, sugar corn in general does poorly in the 
South because people fail to grow their own seed. The corn 
sold by the seedsmen is largely grown in Nebraska and other 
northern localities, and corn of any sort seldom does well at 
first when removed far south of the locality where produced. 
There is no difficulty in growing the later sorts of sugar corn 
in the South when acclimated, hence it is always best to mature 
seed at home and get it acclimated. This can seldom be well 
done with the early crop because it is usually so badly infested 
with boll worms, making it hard to get good ears for seed. But 
a crop planted the middle of June or even in early July can be 
matured clear of worms and will make the best seed for home 
use in the South. The plants gradually attain a greater size 
and vigor, yet do not mature so early as seed from the North. 

For early use I do not plant sugar corn, but use seed of the 
Norfolk Market corn. This is an improvement on the old 
Early Adams corn, making longer ears and just as early. It is 
a very early dent corn, in fact, and can be profitably used in 
field planting, when it is necessary to plant very late. 

Every spring I plant a little of the early sugar corn like 
the Golden Bantam, because of its very fine quality, though we 
get very little of it and very small ears. The Black Mexican 
sugar corn generally does fairly well and is early. This corn is 
a dark purple color when ripe, but pale pink when ready for the 
table. Plant the Norfolk Market corn, follow with a little of 
the Golden Bantam and then plant successive crops of the 
Country Gentleman, Stowell's Evergreen and Randall's Giant. 
The latest and largest sugar corn is the Egyptian. 

In my garden, as fast as the ears are used, I pull out the 
stalks and set them aside to cure, thus have the ground cleared 
of stumps and ready for some later crop. 

Cucumber 

The practice of the large truck growers, in growing cu- 
cumbers, is to prepare the soil in early winter, run out furrows 
5 feet apart, fill them half full of stable manure, and let it lie 



32 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

and rot till spring. Then they add 500 pounds of high-grade 
fertilizer per acre and bed on it. The beds are slightly flat- 
tened and the seed put in with a garden drill. When a stand 
is secured they thin them to two plants in a hill 20 inches apart, 
and scatter about a tablespoonful of nitrate of soda around each 
hill, cultivating clean till the vines are in the way. As cucum- 
bers form, they sow crimson clover all over the field for a 
winter cover. 

In my garden I adopt a somewhat different method. The 
whole area is well covered with stable manure in the late fall 
and let lie till spring, when it is turned under. Then, in plant- 
ing my cucumbers and cantaloupes, I make hills 3x4 feet 
apart, work into the soil a big handful of fine bone meal, make 
up the hill, plant plenty of seed, and thin out when safe from 
bugs. 

The striped and spotted beetles are usually on the watch to 
attack the plants as soon as they get above ground. To disarm 
them, I keep fine bone meal dusted over the plants. Any fine 
dust will check them. They can also be killed by spraying with 
lead arsenate mixed at rate of 1 pound of lead to 30 gallons of 
water. Then the plants are cultivated clean ; and where the 
borers are apt to attack them, spray with the lead arsenate till 
the cucumbers set and are partly grown. 

For the family garden the Davis Perfect is best. Market 
growers mainly use varieties of the White Spine like the Klon- 
dyke. The Davis Perfect is slightly longer and not so thick, 
but of a very bright dark green color. For a pickling crop I 
plant in late June and gather the cucumbers when half grown. 
In gathering cucumbers always cut them from the vines, leaving 
a small piece of stem. Never pull them from the vines. 

Egg Plant 

Though the egg plant is especially adapted to Southern 
cultivation, it is rarely seen in home gardens in the upper South, 
though an important market crop in the lower South, as in 
Florida and Louisiana. It is a very tender plant and should 
never be started as early as we start the early tomato plants, 
for it is seldom safe to put them in the open ground till after 



ENDIVE AND CHICORY 



38 



the middle of May. Early March is time enough to sow the 
seed in a hotbed under glass sashes or in shallow boxes in the 
greenhouse or window. Large market growers use a hotbed 
and transplant the plants, as soon as large enough, to a fresh 
hotbed to grow strong for later transplanting. 

My own practice in growing a supply for the home gar- 
den is to sow the seed in March in shallow box of rich compost 
in my greenhouse. Then, as soon as they have made a pair of 
rough leaves, I set them in pots of the 23/2-inch size. When 
these are fairly filled with roots. I transfer them to 4-inch pots 
and grow them on strongly so that by planting time I have stout 
plants with leaves as large as my hand. I never try to harden 
them by setting in a cold frame, as I do tomato plants, for they 
get stunted in this way. Keep them growing fast till the soil is 
finally warm and then turn them from the pots with the ball of 
earth entire, and they grow ofif without check. 

The earliest and most prolific variety is the Black Beauty, 
but in my experience it is the hardest to get started and to get 
to grow ofif rapidly. Maule's Excelsior is a stronger growing 
plant and the New York Improved Spineless is also a strong 
grower. I usually sow seed of one of these at the same time 
with the seed of the Black Beauty, as they make larger fruits 
than the Black Beauty, though rather later. 

It is always best to let a fine specimen of each ripen and 
save the seed, for I have always had better success with home- 
grown seed than those from the seedsmen. 

Endive and Chicory 

Endive belongs to the chicory family. It is generally used 
as a hot weather substitute for lettuce. There are two varie- 
ties, the green curled and the white curled, or self-blanching. 
The seed is sown in the open ground in early spring and the 
plants transplanted into beds 8 x 10 inches apart. When the 
heads are well grown, they are blanched by tying the leaves up 
loosely when dry. Or. they can be covered in some way to 
make them blanch. Some merely lay a shingle on the head for 
a few days. I employ conical paper caps, which are also used 
as plant-protectors in the spring. Setting these over the heads 
soon causes them to blanch, making them less bitter. 



34 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

The true chicory, called witloof or French endive, is grown 
from seed sown in early spring and allowed to grow till No- 
vember, keeping it cleanly cultivated. It is then taken up and 
set in trenches 10 inches deep and the soil packed to them and 
covered with a thick layer of manure. In about four weeks 
the crop will be ready to lift and will be well blanched. Endive 
and chicory are eaten raw like lettuce or boiled as greens. 

Herbs 

Sage — The most commonly used seasoning herb is sage. 
It is far better to grow sage from seed every year than to keep 
old bushes in the garden. In March sow the seed in a well- 
prepared seedbed, and when the plants are of good size, trans- 
plant them, after some early crop is off, in rows 2 feet apart 
and 1 foot in the rows. Then, in late summer and fall, the 
entire tops can be cut, for they will all be tender and can be 
dried in the shade for winter use. If the pkuits are kept over 
they will run to bloom the next spring and the crop will be 
smaller. It is better to throw the old plants away and grow 
again from seed. What I have said here applies to the old- 
fashioned sage. But we now have a variety known as Holt's 
Broad Leaf, which never blooms or seeds. This is grown only 
from cuttings or division of the old plants. The leaves are 
much larger than the old variety, and the plants can be given a 
permanent place in the garden, cutting them down to the ground 
in early spring so that the young growth will all be tender and 
clear of hard stems. Cuttings of the young growth, set in a 
pan of wet sand in a window in early spring, will root easily 
and the plants can be potted to grow strong for setting in the 
garden. Or the old plants can be taken up, divided and reset. 

Tliymc, sweet luarjoram and other herbs will live for years 
in the same place, but are really better grown annually from 
seed. 

Dill, the leaves of which are used in pickles, is a hardy 
biennial plant. It grows from seed one season, blooms, seeds 
the second season and dies. Hence the seed should be sown in 
alternate years, or annually. 

Fennel is similar to dill and of the same duration. 



HORSE-RADISH KALE 35 

Horchound is a hardy perennial and a bed of it can remain 
in the same place for a number of years. The same is true of 
lavender, which housekeepers value for placing in the bureau 
drawers because of its fragrance. 

Horse-Radish 

While horse-radish is a perfectly hardy plant and will live 
in the same spot from year to year, it is only well-grown by 
treating it as an annual. The roots are at their best when of 
one season's growth. The crop is grown from cuttings of the 
side roots about -t inches long. These are cut square across at 
the top and sloping at the base, to prevent setting them upside 
down. These cuttings are planted by punching holes and set- 
ting them straight in the soil. A good place to plant these cut- 
tings is between rows of early cabbage. Then, when the cab- 
bage are cut, the horse-radish can be cultivated the rest of the 
season, and dug in the fall. At this time the side roots are 
trimmed off, tied in bundles and buried for planting in the 
spring. The crop needs heavy fertilization to make good 
straight roots. 

There is a new variety from Bohemia called Maliner Kren, 
which is the best variety grown. Any of the leading seed- 
houses will supply the cuttings in spring, and the earlier they 
are set the better. 

Kale 

Kale is very extensively grown in the Norfolk section for 
shipping north in winter. The Dwarf Curled Scotch kale is 
sometimes grown like late cabbage and collards. The plants 
are set in August and make very large spreading heads of pret- 
tily crimped leaves. These are good for boiling after touched 
by frost, the plants being quite hardy. Then, the still more 
hardy Norfolk curled kale is also grown and is of better quality 
than the Scotch. Some seedsmen catalogue the Green Curled 
German kale as very hardy, but I have found that sown in rows 
along side the Norfolk kale it was killed in winter, while the 
Norfolk kale survived. Dreer's Imperial Long Standing kale 
is of the Scotch type, beautifully curled and very hardy. Sown 
early in summer and transplanted and grown like cabbages, it 
will furnish greens all winter. 



36 massey's garden book 

Kohl-Rabi 

This is a plant belonging to the cabbage family which 
makes a large bulb-like swollen stem above ground and a tuft 
of leaves above.. The swollen stem is the part used and is 
boiled after peeling like turnips. The seed are sown in early 
spring for an early crop, and late summer for a fall crop. Sow 
in rows 16 inches apart and thin the plants to 4 inches. Like 
all this class of plants, it needs a rich and heavily manured 
soil to make large bulbs. 

Leek 

Leeks make the best winter substitute for green onions, 
and are milder than onions. Sow the seed very early in spring, 
preferably in February, in a well-enriched seed bed. Grow 
them on strongly till July. Then, after some heavily manured 
early crop, transplant them into open furrows in rows 16 inches 
apart and 3 inches in the rows. Work the soil to them grad- 
ually and finally earth up slightly. The idea is to get long white 
shanks for cooking. 

They are perfectly hardy and can be left all winter in the 
rows where they grew, and taken up as wanted for use. We 
use them all winter through till the young onions are ready in 
early spring. 

Lettuce 

Lettuce is one of the chief market crops of the South and 
is largely grown in beds under cloth, although far better crops 
can be grown under glass sashes. 

For the first fall crop of lettuce to be grown in the open 
ground, I sow seed of the Big Boston variety early in August 
and transplant the plants, as soon as of good size, into rows 16 
inches apart and fi inches in the rows. Then, they are not al- 
lowed to suffer from lack of water, while nitrate of soda is 
scattered between the rows to hasten growth. This crop will 
head in October or early November. 

Early in September sow more seed of the B'g Boston, 
and as soon as the plants are large enough, transplant them into 
frames, spacing 8x10 inches. As they start to grow, give 
these, too, some nitrate of soda, being sure none of it touches 



MUSTARD OKRA 



37 



the leaves. Put the glass or cloth over the frames when the 
nights get frosty, and this crop will head for Christmas and 
New Year's. In the meantime, sow seed in a frame in Octo- 
ber, and when the first frame is cut out, move it to a freshly 
manured place and plant with these plants for the late winter 
and early spring crop. 

In late January sow seed of the Wonderful or New York 
lettuce in a frame and harden these off so that they can be set 
in the open ground in late February. This is the largest-head- 
ing lettuce grown, and will stand longer in the spring without 
running to seed than any other sort. In rich and moist soil it 
will often make heads weighing three to four pounds each. This 
crop needs heavy manuring and applications of nitrate of soda 
during its growth, for lettuce must be grown fast to be good. 
In the frames in fall and winter the soil must be stuft'ed with 
rotten manure and high-grade fertilizers and nitrate of soda 
used. 

Seed of the last spring crop can De sown outside in Feb- 
ruary and transplanted to follow those from the frame, but it 
is rarely of use to try to head lettuce later than the first of June 
or in some seasons even earlier. 

Cos lettuce is of upright growth and can be planted closer 
than the wide spreading sorts. It should be grown early in 
spring, and the heads will usually need tying in to blanch them. 
When well-grown this is a very fine variety. 

Mustard 

Mustard makes about the earliest of spring-sown greens, 
and comes in very nicely after the turnip tops. It is sown in 
rows in early spring and grows quickly and is soon out of the 
way of later crops. The White London mustard is about the 
best variety. 

Okra 

Okra is good either as a boiled vegetable or as the chief 
ingredient in gumbo soup. The pods are cut for use while still 
tender and before they get stringy. Cut at the proper stage 
they can be sliced and dried and kept for making soup in 
winter. 



38 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

Plant the seed in rows about I! feet ajxirt in rich soil and 
w lien a stand is secured, thin the plants to a foot apart. Do 
not plant the seed till the soil is warm, as the plants are quite 
tender. 

One of the best tall-growing varieties is Perkins" Long 
Pod. The pods are long and green. Then, there is a dwarf 
sort, the Little Gem, which also makes long green pods and 
does not grow so tall. The White Velvet or Creole has smooth 
pods of a creamy white color and is very productive, but it gets 
tough more quickly than the Perkins. 

Okra pods should be kept cut even if not all used at once, 
as the sur]^lus can be dried. One good plant left to mature 
will furnish all the seed needed in a large garden, and for seed 
saving it is aKvays best to allow the iirst pods to mature for 
seed, and thus prevent the tendency of the plants to grow con- 
stantly taller in case only the refuse late pods are saved for 
seed. 

Onions 

Early Onions — Onions are best grown in a well-drained 
soil tending more to sand than clay. Heavy manuring and fer- 
tilizing are needed, for the onion demands a fat soil ; and as the 
crop demands the cleanest of cultivation it is best to depend on 
high-grade commercial fertilizer, not less than 1,000 pounds per 
acre, and keep the same land in onions every year for five or 
six years. When grown on a large scale for market, the land 
should be sown in peas as soon as the crop is oil and the peas 
disked down and turned under in September before replanting 
in onions. 

Onions when one-third to half grown are bunched for 
market in the spring, and this use of the crop by the market 
gardener often pays better than to let them ripen. For the ear- 
liest green onions, I have generally used sets of the Norfolk 
Queen. The next best is the White Pearl onion. The sets are 
planted in September in rows 16 inches apart and about 3 inches 
in the rows. 

Even in field culture it does not pay to plant onions wide 
enough in the rows to admit of horse cultivation. The entire 
soil must be made very rich, and close planting gives the heav- 



ONIONS 



39 



iest crop. The cultivation is done with hand wheel cultivators. 
One must get down on his knees and take out every weed by 
hand, for this crop will not tolerate weeds in the rows. The 
sets are planted rather shallow, and late in the fall the soil is 
thrown to each side of the rows as a winter protection, to be 
pulled away in early spring for the bulbs to form near the sur- 
face. 

The green onions will be ready to use as soon as they are 
as large as one's thumb end and so on till half grown. These 
fall-planted sets often tend to run to seed, and if allowed to do 
so, the bulb will be worthless. Hence, attention must be given 
in spring and any seed stalks that appear must be nipped out at 
once. 

The Yellow Potato is the first ripe onion, and when grown 
for sale it comes on the market a good while before the general 
seed-grown crop of the North, usually bringing a good price. 
This onion never makes seed, but makes offsets at the root, 
which are used as sets for planting in September. A large set 
will make a good onion and a number of sets, while a small one 
will usually make one large onion. A large and fully grown 
onion will, if planted, burst up into twenty to thirty sets, and to 
produce the sets in quantity it is well to plant some large onions 
in the fall. In the spring the offsets can be pulled off and 
cleaned and bunched for green onions. 

As I have said, the Yellow Potato onion makes the earliest 
ripe crop. It is not a good keeper and should be sold at once, 
if grown for sale. No attempt should be made to carry the 
sets over for spring planting, for they will be worthless and 
sprouted by spring; and being perfectly hardy, the best place 
for any unsold sets is in the ground in the fall. The great 
onion crop of the North is grown directly from seed sown as 
early in spring as the soil can be gotten in good order. This 
crop can easily be grown in the South, too, and it is far cheaper 
to grow them from seed than from sets. Even when planted in 
spring the onion sets are apt to run to seed, especially if large. 

The kinds that are grown from spring-sown seed are the 
New England varieties such as the Southport White, Yellow 
or Red Globe, the Danvers Yellow Globe and the Red Wethers- 
field. To make good onions directly from seed the earlier they 



40 massey's garden book 

can be sown the better. If the soil can be gotten in good order 
in February that will be the best time to sow in the South in 
general, and never later than early March. The seed are sown 
with a garden seed drill in rows Ifi inches apart and worked 
with the hand wheel cultivator or the Norcross cultivator hoe. 
They must be thinned to 3 inches, and every weed and sprig of 
grass kept strictly out of the rows. When the tops turn yellow- 
ish and tend to fall over, the crop should be pulled and let lie 
in the sun all day, but before night spread out in a warm place 
under cover. Let them cure with the tops on and do not re- 
move the tops till wanted for use or sale. Before cold weather 
get them into a perfectly dark outhouse and do not pile thickly. 
If the building is tight, what frost may get in will do no harm, 
for it is better to have a little freezing than to get them warm 
and sprouting. Where intended for sale they should be sold 
as soon as cured so as to get in ahead of the Northern crop. 

The Uliitc Multiplier is similar to the Yellov/ Potato onion 
in that it never makes seed but increases by offsets at the root. 
It never makes a large onion, but makes fine white pickling 
onions and good onions for bunching green. It is the best 
keeper of any onion. I have kept them all winter in a heap on 
a barn floor and did not lose an onion. 

Onioti Sets — Sets of the New England varieties are 
grown from seed sown especially for this purpose. The seed 
are sown very thickly in rows IG inches apart, as much as 50 
pounds of seed being sown on an acre, where they are grown 
on a large scale. Most of the onion sets on the market are 
grown in Illinois, but for eastern planting the western sets are 
not as good as the home-grown ones, for in the East they tend 
to make long thick-necked scallions rather than good bulbs. 
Hence, if the gardener in the South Atlantic section wishes to 
plant sets, he had better grow them himself. 

The seed should be sown in good garden soil which has 
been manured for other crops, but no special fertilization is 
used on such soils, as we do not want the bulbs to grow too 
large. About the size of a boy's playing marble is the proper 
dimension, and hence we sow the seed very thickly. Sow the 
seed early in April and the sets will ripen in late June. The 
tops are then sheared off and the onions taken up and cured, 



PARSNIPS 41 

generally in trays exposed to the sun and taken in at night. 
These can then be replanted in September or kept in a cold 
place for early planting in spring. They can be culled by using 
a sieve with openings large enough to let the very small ones 
through, and keeping the good ones in. Then the very small 
sets can be sown thinly like seed to make onions while the good- 
sized sets are planted 3 inches apart as heretofore directed. 

Onions (Spanish and Italian) — The large Spanish, Italian 
and Bermuda varieties of onions can be grown by sowing the 
seed in January in a cold frame under glass sashes, and when 
the plants are as stout as a lead pencil in March, transplant 
just like sets, nipping the tops and roots slightly. These plants 
will make the large onions often seen in crates, each onion 
weighing a pound or more. The varieties for this method are 
the Prizetaker, Denia, Giant Gibraltar, Mammoth Pompeii and 
some others, as well as the white and pink Bermudas. The Ber- 
muda onion can be grown directly from seed sown in the open 
ground early in spring, but are grown earlier by the transplant- 
ing method. In the lower South sow seed in September and 
transplant when large enough. 

Parsnips 

These roots are too much neglected in the South. Pars- 
nips make a fine addition to the winter table. They can be eaten 
freshly boiled or the boiled roots can be sliced and fried, and 
being perfectly hardy they can remain in the rows where grown 
till wanted for use. Parsnip seed are light and chaffy, and are 
sometimes hard to germinate, especially in soil that crusts much. 
I have found that the best way to get a stand is to plant a small 
pinch of seed in a place about 4 inches apart in the row and 
make the rows 20 inches apart. Then the little bunches can be 
easily thinned. But do not handle parsnip leaves when wet, for 
if the wet leaves touch parts of the wrist usually covered by 
clothing, they will cause troublesome blisters. 

As to varieties, there is really but one, the Hollow Crown. 
A variation of this called the Student differs only in having 
shorter roots. The general directions in the seed catalogues 
call for sowing the seed as early in spring as the soil can be 



42 massey's garden book 

worked. This is all right in the North, but in the longer-grow- 
ing season in the South this early sowing will result in over- 
grown and somewhat woody roots. Better sow in June, and get 
smaller but tender roots. In fact, they will keep growing in the 
South till mid-winter and make their best growth in the fall 
months. Sow one ounce to 200 feet of row. 

Parsley 

Every housekeeper wants parsley leaves for garnishing 
the dishes and to flavor soups and meats. The seed should be 
sown rather thickly on a border in rows a foot apart. Sow 
very early in spring, for the seed are slow to germinate and 
need the soil to be moist. A bed will run through summer, fall, 
winter and early spring of the second year before running to 
seed. Hence, it is best to sow a bed every spring to take the 
place of the one that is running to seed. 

The more completely the leaves are curled the better, and 
it is therefore desiral^le to save seed from a plant of the most 
intensely curled character, and prevent any plain-leaved plants 
from seeding. Fresh seed is very important and it is desirable 
to save some in the home garden. The best variety is the 
Champion Moss Curled. 

Peas 

Peas (Garden) — ^lost people are fond of peas and every- 
body likes to get them earlier than his neighbors. All the seeds- 
men offer special varieties of the "extra early" peas. Formerly 
these were all selected strains of the old Early Kent, a yellow 
seeded pea. But of late years the greenish seeded Alaska type 
has prevailed, and while every seedsman claims to have the best 
strain of extra early peas, they all belong to the Alaska type. 
Some may be |)urer to type than others, but all are very much 
alike. I have found a variety called the Nonpareil to come in 
as early as any I have tried. 

But the very early peas are not of as high quality as those 
that come in a little later and the very late ones. I always plant 
a few of the extra early variety for beginning, but depend 
mainly on the later peas of better quality, those with wrinkled 



PEAS 



43 



seed. Some of these are now quite early and I find that by 
sowing the very dwarf sorts Hke Sutton's Excelsior and Thomas 
Laxton that they come into use before the Nonpareil are all 
too old for use; and there are a number of the later and taller 
sorts that are of high quality, while the oldest of these, the 
Champion of England, is one of the best. 

The early and dwarf sorts need no support, but the tall 
late ones must have something to climb on. I plant them along 
a woven wire fence or stretch a 5-foot width of chicken wire 
for them to run on. The growers who plant largely for mar- 
ket plant only the extra early sorts which give their whole crop 
at once and early, for the later peas would come into competi- 
tion with the extra early ones north of us. But for home use 
the wrinkled seeded peas are far better and larger. 

Peas do not need large applications of nitrogen, but do 
need plenty of phosphoric acid, and should have a liberal ap- 
plication of acid phosphate to supplement the stable manure 
usually applied to gardens. I use very fine ground bone meal 
and find it good. 

Chicken wire of various widths is the cheapest and best 
support for peas or beans or any climbing plants. For the va- 
rieties of medium height the 3-foot width is sufficient, and for 
tall sorts like the Champion of England the 5-foot width is 
best. Even the extra early peas will be a little better off with 
a 2-foot width of the wire, though it is common to let these 
grow without support. 

The time for sowing the extra early peas will vary, of 
course, with one's climate. In the light sandy soils of the east- 
ern coast section, the time to get them in the ground is the first 
good weather after New Year's day. The later peas_, of the 
wrinkled class, should not be sown so early, as they are apt to 
rot in the ground in cold weather. But they can be sown in 
late February and early March. Much later sowing than the 
middle of March will be liable to be caught by the hot weather 
and prove a failure. The dwarf extra early peas can be sown 
in rows 3 feet apart, while the taller ones will need a 4-foot 
space between the rows. 



44 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

Peppers 

Considerable interest has arisen in the crop of sweet green 
peppers which many market growers have found profitable for 
northern markets. For this early crop, the seed are sown in a 
hotbed under glass in February and transplanted to frames 
under sashes, like tomato plants, to harden for setting out after 
frost is over. For home use they are mainly desired for stufif- 
ing for pickles in the fall. Seed sown in a bed in the open will 
give plants that will fruit well at pickling time. 

Pepper should be planted in heavily manured garden soil in 
rows 2y2 feet apart and about 18 inches in the rows. The va- 
rieties that have been generally used are the Ruby King and 
the Neapolitan. The only difference is that the Neapolitan 
holds its fruit more upright than the Ruby King, on which the 
peppers hang down. The Chinese Giant has come into use in 
some sections, and I have grown them, but can find no advan- 
tage in them. The pods are too large and ungainly, and the 
plants are not so productive as the Ruby King. 

A pepper somewhat newly introduced is the Pimiento, a 
Spanish variety. This does not have wrinkled pods like the 
others, but is perfectly smooth and of a bluntly conical form. 
It is thick fleshed and the sweetest of peppers, having not a 
trace of fire in it. It has become popular for canning. It is a 
very productive pepper, and will be likely to supersede the 
others as people get acquainted with its quality. By starting 
the plants early under glass this variety will give green pods 
by the last of June or early July, and plants sown in the open 
ground will furnish pods till frost. 

Potatoes — Irish 

The Irish potato crop is one of the crops that are bet- 
ter adapted to the outer truck patch and horse culture than 
to the enclosed garden. Every farmer should produce plenty 
of these potatoes not only for home use all the year through, 
but as a source of profit in his local market. I do not advise 
farmers as a rule to attempt truck crops for northern shipment. 
This is a business in itself, and demands the whole time and 



IRISH POTATOES 45 

attention of the grower, and the man engaged in general farm- 
ing cannot give the truck crops the proper attention. 

A mellow sandy loam, on which a crop of cowpeas has 
been grown and turned under in the early fall, and rye sown 
on the land in September so as to make a good fall growth and 
to have quite a mat of rye to turn under in February, will make 
an ideal preparation for the early potato crop. Some slight 
acidity from the organic decay will make conditions unfavor- 
able to the scab fungus. While I would not say that acid condi- 
tions in the soil are best for the potato crop, they are less favor- 
able to the growth of the scab, and the use of lime, while per- 
haps favoring a larger crop of potatoes, will also make condi- 
tions favorable to the scab, and a fair crop of clean potatoes is 
worth more than a large crop of scabby ones. 

If some old rotten manure is available it may be profitably 
spread broadcast before turning under the rye, but do not put 
fresh stable manure in the furrows, as that, too, will encourage 
the scab. High-grade commercial fertilizers will make the clean- 
est crop, though I have made fine crops from manure spread 
broadcast in the fall and only acid phosphate used in the fur- 
rows in spring. 

There is no early crop on which the truck growers are 
more lavish in the use of fertilizers, for the crop coming oflF 
early leaves a residual effect that will give a large crop of corn 
after the potatoes are dug, though if the future improvement 
of the soil is looked after it would be better to sow peas after 
the potatoes, and use them for hay to feed stock and make ma- 
nure, and follow the peas with crimson clover, which can be 
turned under the next spring to make a heavy crop of sweet 
potatoes. Usually it is the practice to use a large percentage 
of potash in the fertilizer for the early Irish potatoes. 

For early potatoes I would make the furrows rather shal- 
low and 2^ feet apart. We need the early warmth of the sun 
and hence should plant rather shallow. Cut the potatoes to two 
eyes and drop 15 inches apart in the furrows, after mixing the 
fertilizer in the furrow by running a bull-tongue through. 

Cover with a furrow from each side and at once harrow 
level in order to start them earlier. As soon as the plants ap- 
pear, run the weeder over the field to loosen the crust and de- 



46 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

stroy germinating weeds. Then cultivate rapidly with the cul- 
tivator and lay by with a plow or a broad sweep as blooms ap- 
pear, hilling well. 

As to varieties, the market growers in the South Atlantic 
region use the Irish Cobbler almost exclusively. Farther west, 
the Triumph is still largely grown, and some still plant Early 
Rose and Early Ohio. The Pride of the South or White Bliss 
Triumph is a good variety, and better for family use than the 
Irish Cobbler. 

Late Crop Potatoes — It has been the practice to grow a 
second crop from seed of the early crop, but since the use of 
the Irish Cobbler has become so common it has been found that 
it is less adapted to this use than the Triumph or the Early 
Rose, and the uncertainty of the crop has led to the use of seed 
potatoes that have been kept over from the previous fall in cold 
storage. 

For making the late crop it is better to use these early va- 
rieties that have been kept in cold storage than try to make a 
second crop from seed of the early one. While there are many 
very good late varieties of potatoes, as a rule I consider it bet- 
ter to use the early varieties from cold storage for growing the 
late crop, because they will not only make a good winter supply, 
but will make the best of seed for planting the early crop in the 
spring. 

For a regular late potato many now use the Lookout Moun- 
tain, which I have never grown. I have found that the Sir 
Walter Raleigh, while not so heavy a cropper as some, is a 
potato of fine quality. The late crop can be planted at any time 
from the middle of June to the middle of July, and in the far 
South, even later. In fact, once, in a very late fall, I made a 
good crop of Early Rose potatoes that did not appear above 
ground till September, but frost held off that fall till Decem- 
ber 1st. 

For growing the late crop, conditions are very different 
from those present with the early crop. We have to look care- 
fully after the soil moisture in the dry and hot weather usually 
present in late summer and fall. Hence, instead of planting 
shallow and hilling up T plant in deep furrows, cover very shal- 
low till they start, and then work the soil to them as they grow 



RADISHES 47 

till level. Cultivate shallow and level to keep a dust blanket on 
the surface to conserve moisture in the soil and do not hill up 
to dry out. Keep the cultivator running rapidly and frequently 
till they bloom. This crop will grow till cut down by frost, and 
when this takes place the crop should be dug at once, and 
stored in a totally dark cellar or buried outside with earth — 
covering enough to keep out frost. Heat and light are dam- 
aging, and the nearer we can keep the potatoes only a few 
degrees above the freezing point and the darker the storage 
place the better they will keep. 

I have grown the second crop from seed of the early crop 
in the following way : Let them mature and dig. Then cut 
them at once in halves, spread out and cover with pine straw, 
keeping that moist. Then plant them as they sprout and do not 
plant any that have not sprouted. Plant deep and cover shal- 
low as advised above. 

Careful experiments have shown that the late grown crop 
of the early varieties makes the best seed for spring planting. 
The seed potatoes grown in Maine have developed so much 
disease that crops grown from them are always infested with 
the black shank disease and may bring us the powdery mildew, 
a far worse disease. A late crop grown from the cold storage 
seed will produce a better and more healthy crop in the South. 

Radishes 

The early radishes are a crop for the cool spring weather. 
Then there are later summer varieties, but these are little 
grown, though useful at times. Then, too, there are the large 
winter sorts like the Celestial and the Red Chinese which are 
sown in the fall and make roots of immense size. To grow the 
early radishes the soil must be made very rich, for to be good 
they must grow quickly. The earliest crop can be grown by 
sowing seed early in January in a cold frame in alternate rows 
with early beets. These will come in early in March. Then 
seed can be sown in the open garden as early in February as the 
soil can be gotten in good order, and as the early turnip-rooted 
varieties soon become pithy it is better to sow again in March 
and again in April. 



48 massey's garden book 

Then, if the summer varieties are wanted, sow again in 
early May. The winter varieties are sown in September, and 
if well mulched with manure between the rows they will keep 
good all winter. 

As to varieties, the White-Tipped Early Turnip-Rooted is 
as good as any, and the White Strasburg and Chartier for 
summer. For winter the Celestial and the Scarlet China sown 
in September. The Celestial is a very large white radish and is 
excellent boiled like turnips, making a dish better than turnips. 
The old Chinese Rose Colored winter radish has been super- 
seded by the Scarlet China. 

Rhubarb 

On dry upland in the South, rhubarb is very uncertain and 
apt to die out. The best variety is the Linnaeus. Plant the 
roots 3x3 feet in rich moist soil and mulch heavily with ma- 
nure in spring and summer to retain the moisture and promote 
the growth of the crop. Rhubarb needs heavy and constant 
manuring to make good stalks. After four years growth in 
one place it is best to lift the roots and divide and replant in 
fresh soil. 

Rhubarb can be kept in winter more easily than almost any 
other vegetable. The stalks are simply cut in small pieces and 
packed in fruit jars and then cold water enough poured in to 
fill the jar and the top fastened down. It keeps in this way 
till the fresh crop comes in the spring. 

Salsify 

Salsify is also known as "oyster plant," as the roots boiled 
and made into cakes and fried taste very much like fried oys- 
ters. They are good, too, when simply stewed. vSalsify is one 
of the earliest crops planted in the North, but in the South 
should not be planted before June or in the lower South in 
July. If planted early it is apt to run to seed. The seed are 
planted rather thinly in rows Ifi inches apart and thinned very 
h'ttle, as they will develop to full size when only an inch apart. 

vSalsify makes its best growth in the cool fall weather and 
will grow on through the greater part of the winter, being per- 



SPINACH SQUASH 



49 



fectly hardy. They need a deep loose soil so that the long roots 
may run down straight without getting forked. They are at 
their best after frost, and can be taken up for use all winter and 
till they start to grow again in spring. Do not take up more at 
a time than are to be used, for the roots will soon wilt. 

Spinach 

Spinach is one of the best of winter greens, and can be 
had in constant use from early fall till late spring. The only 
variety worth sowing is the round-seeded Norfolk Savoy. The 
catalogues offer the prickly-seeded variety, but it is little used 
except sometimes for spring sowing. 

We make the first sowing in late August in rows 16 inches 
apart in heavily fertilized soil. This is for use in the fall. An- 
other sowing is made the middle of September to keep up the 
supply till Christmas and New Year's. 

In the upper South make a sowing early in October to 
winter over for late winter and early spring cutting. In the 
lower South make this sowing early in November. 

Spinach must be grown rapidly to be good, and heavy fer- 
tilization is neded. Being very hardy, it will furnish greens all 
winter. In cutting, the plant should be cut entirely to the 
ground. The crop is largely grown around Norfolk, Virginia, 
for shipping in barrels north. 

Squash 

The squashes or cymlings commonly grown in the South 
are the early summer bush varieties. The hard shell or winter 
squashes seldom do well in the South except in the mountain 
section. They are popular in the North, but in the South we 
can do with our soft yam sweet potatoes all that they do with 
the winter squashes in the North — and better, we think. 

The Early White Bush or Pattypan is one of the best and 
most generally used of summer squash. There is also a bush 
of similar growth with yellow colored squashes. Both are good. 
Then there is the long yellow crookneck squash which is also 
good. 



50 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

Plant the summer sorts in well-manured hills 4 feet each 
way. The winter varieties will need as much room as water- 
melons or i)umpkins. Squashes are apt to be attacked by the 
striped or spotted beetles as soon as they come through the 
ground. Keep the plants covered with tobacco dust as soon as 
they appear or fine dust of any sort. The tobacco dust is best, 
as it also helps the growth of the plants. 

The winter squashes (Beston, Marrow and Hubbard being 
the best varieties ) do as well in the cornfield as pumpkins do, 
but if planted early, in the warmer parts of the South, the 
squashes are apt to rot on the vines. Planted in July, they may 
succeed. 

Tomatoes 

There is no garden vegetable more generally used and cul- 
tivated than the tomato, and the varieties grown are innumer- 
able. During the last forty years there has been great improve- 
ment made in the character of the fruit of the tomato. Before 
then we had large solid varieties but very rough and irregular 
in form. We also had a smooth tomato that was very hollow 
and seedy. The first effort to make a solid and smooth tomato 
was in the Trophy, sent out about forty years ago by the late 
Col. George Waring, who was generally noted as a civil en- 
gineer. He became interested in the improvement of the to- 
mato, and announced that he had succeeded in putting the old 
Mexican Chihuahua tomato into a smooth skin. He called it 
the Trophy and advertised the seed at twenty for $5. I paid 
the $5 early in January and got the seed. I sowed them at 
once in my greenhouse, and seventeen of them came up. Then 
they were potted, and as fast as they grew I took cuttings, 
rooted them, and by planting them in spring I had 150 plants in 
pots. I sold eighteen of these for 50 cents each, and planted 
the remainder. From these I saved seed and planted a large 
field the following season; and the crop was a very remunera- 
tive one. 

Since then we have had new varieties of tomatoes offered 
by the seedsmen year after year. Being interested in tomatoes 
I have tested most of the varieties brought out. Every season 
some seedsman claims that he has the earliest ever, but there 



TOMATOES 



51 



has been very little advance in earliness since the introduction 
of Maule's Earliest. Then came Sparks' Earliana, which 
seemed to be identical with Maule's Earliest, and both were 
rather rough in form. But the seedsmen have been at work on 
these, and now the Langdon Earliana is as smooth as any. Still 
later, the Bonny Best came out. and is a much better and more 
meaty variety than the Earliana, also having the valuable qual- 
ity of continuing in fruit longer than the Earliana, which ripens 
its whole crop early and quits. The Earliana is valuable for 
the market grower on this account, but for the home garden the 
Bonny Best is now the best early tomato, being but a few days 
later than Earliana, and far better in quality. 

For the earliest tomatoes I now use only the Bonny Best, 
and it not only gives me early fruit, but keeps bearing till the 
later sorts are well under way in fruiting. For the main or 
late canning crop the Stone is universally used, but for the 
home garden I prefer Success, Red Rock, Globe, and Missis- 
sippi Girl. 

To have tomatoes early the plants must be forwarded un- 
der glass and several times transplanted to make them strong. 
The time for sowing is about ten weeks before the time for 
setting out in any locality. I sow the seed in shallow boxes in 
my greenhouses. As soon as they are large enough to handle, 
they are either transplanted to other boxes and given more 
room or are set in flower pots of the 2^-inch size. Later, the 
plants are set in cold frames under glass sashes 4 inches apart 
each way, and are then exposed to the air in all warm and 
sunny weather, so as to gradually harden them to the air, till 
the stems assume a purplish color instead of the tender green. 
I take up the plants with a garden trowel and a mass of soil, 
setting them in holes filled with water and pulling the dry earth 
around them. Treated in this way they seldom wilt at all. 
Then, if frost threatens, I bend the plants over and cover them 
with the soil till the cold passes. I once carried them through 
a freeze that dropped to 31 degrees in this way. 

Where there is no greenhouse it is best to sow the seed 
in a hotbed under glass sashes, and from this transplant them 
to the cold frames. But do not let them get crowded and drawn 
up slender in the hotbed, for such i)lants will be little better 



52 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

than those sown outside. They must be transplanted to get 
stout and strong. Seed can also be sown in a shallow box in 
a sunny window of a warm room, transplanted into another 
box or boxes with several inches of room, and finally set in a 
frame covered with cloth to harden off. 

In the heat of late June and July, the early tomatoes are 
apt to fail and make inferior fruit. To provide against this, I 
sow seed thinly in the open ground early in April to get strong 
plants, set these out to succeed the early ones as they fail, and 
when these come in, I clean out the early plants. Then, I make 
the third sowing outside about the first of June so as to have 
plants that will come in with their best fruit in September and 
October. I also like to have an abundance of well-grown green 
tomatoes when frost threatens. These are then gathered, 
wrapped in ])aper and stored in crates in the cellar. Some are 
brought into the kitchen window every few days to ripen up, 
and in this wa\' T have had a constant supplv for slicing for the 
table till January. 

I plant the early tomatoes in rows 3 feet apart and 2 feet 
apart in the rows. A stake is set to each plant, the plants 
trained up to a single stem and tied loosely to the stakes. All 
side shoots are kept pinched out, and in this way we get the 
earliest fruit. The later sowing T set 4 feet each way and allow 
them to take their natural growth on the ground. , A good 
nnilch of pine straw between the rows, after the plants have 
gotten to be a good size and before they fall over, will keep 
them off the ground and will help keep down the crab grass. 

Tomatoes need a fertile soil but not too much nitrogen, 
which causes too rank a growth of vine. They need plenty of 
acid phosphate, and where stable manure is not available, an 
equal mixture of cottonseed meal and acid phosphate will be 
the best fertilizer. 

The Colorado potato beetle will sometimes destroy the 
plants in the outdoor seedbed if not watched, and spraying with 
lead arsenate is advisable. This mixed in bordeaux mixture 
will keep off the leaf blight as well. (Refer to the chapter on 
"Plant Diseases and Insects" elsewhere in this book.) If you 
find a big green tobacco worm on your plants with little white 
sacks all over it, do not destroy that worm, for it will soon die 



TURNIPS WATERMELONS 53 

and the little white sacks will hatch out spotted lady bugs 
to lay eggs and destroy more worms, for the little lady bug is 
one of the best friends of the gardener. 

Turnips 

The rutabaga turnip and the Large White French or Rock 
turnip should be sown in July. Run out furrows, fertilize 
well, bed, flatten the beds half way, and sow the seed in a row 
on the bed. Thin out to 4 inches apart, as these grow quite 
large. The best variety is the American Purple Top. 

In mid- August sow some of the early Milan turnips for 
early fall use. These turnips grow very quickly and are useful 
in the early fall, though they soon get pithy. 

For the main crop, sow in September the Strap Leaf pur- 
ple top, Purple Top Globe and Yellow Aberdeen. This last is 
one of the finest of turnips for winter use. They are best taken 
up and covered with enough earth to kfeep out frost. 

For greens, sow Seven Top turnips in September and pro- 
tect in winter with some green pine bushes. The Milan turnips 
can also be sown in late February for spring use. 

Turnips are best sown in rows and thinned, but the Seven 
Top can be sown broadcast for greens. 

Watermelons 

These are more a crop for the field or the truck patch than 
for the family garden, for they need more room than any of the 
so-called garden plants. Large growers for northern shipment 
prepare their land early in winter and check it out 8 x 10 feet 
and place half a bushel of manure in each check. Then in 
spring they add a handful of good fertilizer and make up the 
hill and plant. Nitrate of soda is used around the hills as with 
cantaloupes, and the field is sown to crimson clover when the 
melons form. The variety now generally grown for market is 
the Tom Watson. This is a very long green-rind melon of 
very good quality, and has almost superseded the poor quality 
Kolb's Gem so long grown for northern shipment. 



54 MASSEy's garden BOOK 

For home use I like the Mclver Sugar melon. This is a 
striped melon, in shape somewhat between Cuban Queen and 
Georgia Rattlesnake. It is a very sweet melon and has the val- 
uable quality of never cracking in the centre. Maule's All- 
Heart is also a good melon. It has very small seed, not much 
larger than an apple seed. The rind is very thin and the melon 
sweet and good. 

In the South the so-called pickle worm often attacks both 
cantaloupes and watermelons. The preventive is to spray with 
lead arsenate 1 pound to 30 g^allons of water and get it well 
under the young melons. Rust or blight also should be avoided 
by spraying with bordeaux mixture, and the poison can be used 
with this. 



III.— WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN EACH MONTH 

JANUARY 

THE EXTRA early varieties of garden peas of the Alaska 
type should be planted the first opportunity for getting 
the soil in proper order. Open furrows 3 feet apart and 
sow the peas in a somewhat broad ribbon rather than a single 
direct row and cover 4 to .5 inches deep. Among the improved 
strains of the Alaska type I have found the Nonpareil one of 
the best. Do not sow the wrinkled peas so early, as they are 
apt to rot in the ground. The date for these will be stated 
later. 

The Broad Windsor bean can be planted early in the 
month, as it is very hardy, will not stand hot weather, and hence 
must be gotten in earh^ This class of bean is not much grown in 
this country, but is popular in England, where they cannot 
grow our lima beans outside. 

In the frames under glass, in soil very heavily manured 
and fertilized, sow seed of early Egyptian beets and early tur- 
nip-rooted radishes in alternate rows 6 inches apart. In the 
warmer section near the coast these can be sown under cotton 
cloth, but will not be as early as under glass. By the first of 
March, the radishes will be out, and the beets can be hardened 
ofif gradually and the glass removed to other frames to harden 
the early tomato plants. 

Lettuce of the Big Boston variety can now be set in the 
frames for early spring crop. It is best not to use the same 
frames that have grown the Christmas crop, as there will be 
more disease. Have extra frames for this crop. 

Sow seed of the Prizetaker onion in frame under glass or 
cloth. Sow rather thinly in order to get good plants. These 
should be about the size of a lead pencil in early March for 
transplanting to the open ground. These plants set in heavily 
enriched soil will make very large onions. The Giant Gibraltar 
onion is also a very large variety and can be well grown in this 
way. 

55 



56 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

Sow seed of the Charleston Wakefield cabbage in a frame 
to succeed the cabbage grown from fall-planted seed. These, 
too, should be large enough to set in March. Copenhagen Mar- 
ket is also good. 

The last week in the month, prepare a hotbed with glass 
sashes for sowing early tomato seed. This hotbed need not be 
very large, for two sashes 3x6 feet will start plants for a con- 
siderable area in the frames for hardening them off. The time 
for sowing tomato seed in any locality is about ten weeks before 
it is usually safe for setting them in the open ground. Hence, 
January and February are the months for starting the seed. 
If you have no hotbed, you can start plants for the home gar- 
den very well in boxes of rich soil in a sunny window. As 
soon as the plants put on a pair of the rough leaves, transplant 
them 2 inches apart in other boxes and in early March set them 
4 inches apart in a frame covered with cloth, where they will 
grow strong and can be gradually hardened off to the outer air 
and transplanted. 

Seed of peppers and egg plant can also be grown in the 
same way, but it is better to defer the sowing of the egg plant 
seed till the middle of February, as they are very tender. 

Keep the garden clear of chickenweed and the henbit — a 
plant with little purple flowers — as these are winter weeds and 
seed very early in spring. They can be cleaned out entirely if 
destroyed in the winter. In fact, keep the garden clean all the 
year round. 

In the Floxi'cr Garden 

Place orders for shrubbery now. A few words about the 
best kinds may not be out of place here. 

The spirea Van Houttii, called Bridal Wreath, is sim- 
ply a mass of snowy bloom in spring. Then, as soon as the 
flowers fade, I take my hedge shears and shear off all the 
blooming shoots and the bush then puts out a strong mass of 
shoots for the next season. This spirea makes a very beautiful 
ornamental hedge. We have one here that is a great show in 
spring and not at all ugly when not in bloom. 

The common althea is one of the best summer blooming 
shrubs and keeps it up long after other shrubs have faded. 



GARDEN WORK FOR JANUARY 57 

Mine always bloom from July till frost. There are many colors 
of this plant and some with double flowers. They are rapidly 
grown from seed. I grew plants from a pure white variety 
and the plants have made lilac colored flowers with crimson 
centre, and the plant constantly varies in this way. 

Crape myrtles of course we all want. There is now a great 
variety of shades in the bloom from almost crimson to pure 
white, and one with white flowers with purple blotch on the 
lower petals. You can cut around an old plant with a sharp 
spade and new plants will start from the cut roots, which can 
be dug and transplanted. They may also be grown from seed, 
for I have grown hundreds in that way, and got some im- 
proved forms. I have had seedlings in bloom by the time they 
were a foot high or less. The seed had best be sowed as soon 
as ripe, as it is a little harder to start when kept till spring. 

Spirea Anthony Waterer is also a continuous summer and 
fall blooming plant and its rosy, carmine flowers are very pretty. 
The old calycanthus or Sweet Betsy, every one wants, and while 
the flowers are not showy, they make it up in fragrance. Deut- 
zias are also fine from the little dwarf deutzia Gracilis to the 
great bushes of deutzia Crenata, double and single. 

The first thing to bloom in spring is spirea Thumbergii. 
The flowers are white, and even after the bloom is off the 
feathery foliage is very pretty. 

Then, in addition to these shrubs that are hardy every- 
where, we can grow many things in the South that do not thrive 
in the North. The magnolia fuscata. or banana shrub is small 
but very sweet. 

In the warmer coast section the cape jessamine or gardenia 
thrives, and all the Chinese azaleas and the camellia japonica. 
The half hardy evergreen shrubs do better where shaded from 
the morning sun in winter. The camellia thrives from Raleigh 
southward as well as the azaleas. The Chinese sweet olive, too, 
is a hardy and attractive shrub with its little fragrant flowers. 
Then the holly-leaved osmanthus makes a rapid growing and 
beautiful shrub so like a holly that many mistake it for one. 

The Portugal laurels are also splendid evergreens. Some 
of these have leaves so large that most people pass them for 



58 massey's garden book 

our common magnolia. Then, too, there are eleagnus, some 
bushes and others traiHng vines with golden variegated leaves. 

Sow such slow-germinating seeds as lobelia, centaurea, 
salvia, etc., for bedding plants next spring. 

Some of the narcissi will force very well now. Princeps, 
Golden Spur, and Single Trumpet Major are good. The double 
sorts will do better forced a month later. 

If you want snapdragons for making early flower beds, 
sow the seed now. 

If candyttift and mignonette seed are sown this month they 
will bloom early in the spring. 

Sweet peas should also go in if not planted in the late fall. 
It is essential to have these early to get any bowers in the 
Southern climate. Make a deep trench and fill it half full of 
rotten manure, cover with soil, and plant the seed not too 
thickly, but an inch or two apart. Cover lightly till they ger- 
minate and then jjull the soil to them so as to get the roots well 
into the soil to prevent damage from dry weather. Then give 
them a width of chicken wire netting to climb on. 



GARDEN WORK FOR FEBRUARY 5!) 

FEBRUARY 

"T\ YY ^'^^^ ^^ advancing sun there is a great deal to do in 

^A^/ the garden in February. The lettuce in the frames 

^" will need careful attention, and if you are growing it 

under cloth, you should expose it to the sun every mild day, 

for the shade of the cloth will draw the plants up weakly. 

Sow seed of tomatoes, egg plant and peppers as directed 
in January. As soon as the soil can be worked in good condi- 
tion you can sow seed of early beets, Egyptian and Eclipse be- 
ing about the best for early sowing. Early French carrots can 
also be sown in the latter half of the month. Sow Norfolk 
Savoy spinach in well-enriched soil in rows 15 inches apart to 
follow the sowing made in October. The latter part of the 
month sow chard in rows like beets. This is a sort of beet that 
makes immense tops, which are used for greens. It is the best 
substitute for spinach in hot weather. 

Get the early Irish potatoes in the ground by the middle 
of the month. In the lower South this should be done in late 
January or the first of February. If the potatoes are spread 
out in a light and warm place before time for planting, so that 
they start sprouts, it will increase the earliness of the crop. 

The middle of the month sow the late wrinkled peas. Of 
the dwarf varieties that do not need sticking, the Thomas Lax- 
ton and Sutton's Excelsior are good ; and for a tall pea which 
needs some support, the old Champion of England is unsur- 
passed. I grow these on a wire fence, for a 5-foot width of 
chicken wire netting is a good support and cheaper than cutting 
brush. It can also be rolled up in winter and put away, and 
with this treatment will last indefinitely. 

The hardy weeds will be starting. Keep the garden clean. 

Sow a bed of parsley. Let run two seasons and then go to 
seed to be followed by another bed. 

Sow leek this month in the lower South. 

In the Flozver Garden 

Plant the bulbs or corms of the gladiolus. If you have a 
number of these you can make a series of plantings from Feb- 



60 massey's garden book 

ruary to May so as to have a succession of the flowers till 
August. 

Sow seed of the annual phlox drummondii if you sowed 
none in the fall. Fall sowing is best, for the plants will winter 
very well and will bloom earlier and better than from spring 
sowing. 

The Japanese lilies of the Speciosum type can also be 
planted. These are the Rubrum, Roseum and Album and the 
great golden-striped lily Auratum. Bulbs of the Bermuda and 
Japan Longiflorum lilies that have been kept in cold storage 
can be planted now and will make fine flowers in the open 
ground. 

Pansy seed are best sown in late summer and set out in 
the fall so that they will bloom early in spring, but if none were 
sown then they will do fairly well sown now in a frame and 
transplanted later. For early flowers, make the first sowing of 
China aster seed. I sow these under a grape arbor, as they 
germinate better there. They are very easy to transplant if 
dropped into a basin of water as soon as lifted and set with the 
roots dripping wet. 

Spanish and Japanese iris can also be planted now. The 
Japanese make wonderfully beautiful flowers, but demand a 
soil naturally moist, or where they can be regularly irrigated, 
for they will not thrive in very dry soil. German iris, too, can 
now be planted. Their flowers are larger than the Spanish, 
but not so delicate and varied. 

Canna beds, that were left last fall without lifting, but 
covered with the dead tops and leaves, should be taken up the 
latter part of this month, divided and replanted. Heavy ma- 
nuring will make a great difference in the growth of these, and 
plenty of water, too, will greatly help them. The rhizomes of 
the cannas will keep better in winter in the well-covered beds 
than if lifted in the fall, but they should be lifted in spring to 
prevent getting the beds too crowded. The newer sorts of 
cannas make gorgeous heads of bloom and are very showy. 

Make provision for some roses in your garden plans and 
order from your nurseryman now for delivery when time to 
plant. 



GARDEN WORK FOR MARCH 61 

MARCH 

■TT 7'7'ITH the coming of March the garden work becomes 
^^ty more insistent and no time should be lost. Of course, 
^^ there are many things that we have suggested for 
February which can still be done, especially in the northern sec- 
tions of the South. 

In the lower South the planting of the more tender veg- 
etables will begin, and even in eastern North Carolina one can 
risk some snap beans in the ground the latter part of the month. 
The most hardy of these is the Black Valentine, and a good 
plan is to run small ridges east and west and plant the rows 
along the south side of the ridge to be sheltered from the cold 
winds when small. If frost threatens after they are up it is 
easy to take a little garden hand plow and throw a furrow over 
them to be removed after the cold is past. 

If you failed to sow beets and plant potatoes in February, 
lose no time in getting them in now. 

Get the tomato plants that were started in early February 
into a frame where they can be protected from frost at night 
and fully exposed in sunny days. Set them 4 inches apart each 
way, and do not keep the glass or cloth over them any more 
than necessary to protect them from frost. We want to get 
them into such a hardy condition that the stems of the plants 
will take on a purplish color instead of green, showing that 
they have been hardened to the air. Of course, in the lower 
South where frost is over they can be set in the open ground, 
but in most of the South this is not safe till early April, and 
even then in the upper South we must look out for reverses. 

When cold threatens, the plants can be protected in more 
than one way. I have some cardboard protectors made in a 
conical form which can easily be set over the plants ; and I have 
protected them by bending the plants over carefully and cover- 
ing them with soil. One March, when we had very warm 
weather early in the month and a return of cold down to 21 
degrees on the 26th of the month, I had my early tomato plants 
out, but saved them in this way. The earlier we get tomato 
plants out, and get them to live, the earlier the fruiting will be. 

Prepare the land for cucumbers, squash and cantaloupes 



62 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

by running furrows 5 feet apart, and putting well-rotted ma- 
nure into them and then a good application of acid phosphate. 
Bed on this ready for planting in early April. We plant all 
these in rows and thin out to hills after a stand is secured. 

Bed sweet potatoes the last of the month. 

Sow seed of the Wonderful and Hanson lettuce on a warm 
border the first of the month to make plants to set in beds later. 
These varieties stand the warm weather of late spring far bet- 
ter than the Big Boston that is grown in the frames in winter. 
Set in very heavily enriched soil and treat with some nitrate of 
soda to push them along and they will make very large heads, 
especially where it is practicable to water the beds. I set this 
crop in beds (! feet wide, the plants 10 inches apart each way, 
and have known the Wonderful or Shellem lettuce to make 
heads that weighed four pounds. 

Late in the month sow some curled endive to take the place 
of lettuce after the weather gets too hot for the lettuce. The 
endive plants can be set just like lettuce and when the heads are 
of good size tie the leaves together at the top to blanch the 
heads or wrap stiff paper around them to be held in place with 
a rubber band, leaving the top open. 

The onion ])lants in the frame from January sowing can 
now be transi)lanted. Ni]) the roots and tops slightly and do 
not plant more than an inch deep, as the bulbs should form 
mainly on the surface. Sets of the Pearl and Silver Skin onion 
may be planted in the early part of the month, and even good 
onions can be grown direct from seed if sown early in the 
month in very heavily enriched soil and properly thinned later. 

Make trenches, manuring them as previously described, 
for sowing seed of asparagus, using the Palmetto variety. Then 
follow the directions given in this little book and you can grow 
the finest of asparagus without any transplanting. 

March is the best time to plant fig trees or to set cuttings 
for growing more. Cuttings of last year's shoots made about 
ten inches long and set nearly full length in the soil will root 
readily. 

Pepper and egg ])lant seed may be sowed in boxes this 
month and trans])kuile(l to small pots to keep growing. They 



GARDEN WORK FOR MARCH 



63 



may be shifted to still larger pots, if necessary, and finally 
planted out about the last of May when the soil is warm. 

If you plant any corn this month, try the Norfolk Market 
variety. This is not a sugar corn, but a very early dent. Sugar 
corn is apt to rot in the cold ground in March, and hence for 
March planting the Norfolk corn is best. 

In the Floivcr Garden 

Cutting of the hardy annual blooming roses of the re- 
montant class and the Crimson Rambler class will now root 
readily from the ripe wood grown last year. The tea roses are 
better rooted in the fall. (For these see August and Sep- 
tember. ) 

The beds of hyacinths and tulips which should have had a 
mulch of rough manure in the fall should now have the mulch 
raked ofif, as they are about to bloom, and it is necessary to 
keep the soil clean. 

The narcissus or daffodils will be in their prime early in 
March, and all these can be lifted when their tops ripen and the 
beds filled with summer plants. 

The little red ever-blooming Vernon begonias are easily 
raised from seed and make beautiful beds in summer, standing 
heat and drought and always in bloom. The foliage turns a 
bronzy red in the sun and there are white varieties that can be 
grown as a border to the red ones. The seed are as fine as dust 
and should be sown on the surface of some moist soil in a box 
and a pane of glass placed over the box, and they will soon 
start and make nice plants for bedding out after the tulips and 
hyacinths are over. 

Then if you do not want to lift the bulbs, you can plant 
these between them and cut off the ripe tops of the bulbs. Then 
there is a perfectly hardy tuberous begonia called Evansiana 
which can be planted between the bulbs in the fall, and when 
the tulips and hyacinths fade these will come up, make fine fo- 
liage and a mass of pink flowers. Being perfectly hardy, they 
can remain where planted all winter. 

Some plant their dahlias early, but I think this is a mistake, 
as they get to blooming in the hot weather and the flowers are 



64 massey's garden book 

not so good as in the fall. Here I take up the dahlia roots after 
frost, bury them in the garden and cover thickly with earth. 
They will stand the winter outside in an ordinary winter, but 
in a very cold one may get hurt. I defer planting these till 
May and take up the roots and cut off the sprouts that are 
starting to keep them from growing too early, for I want the 
fine fall flowers. 

The hardy perennial phlox makes the finest of all summer 
bloom. Its colors range from pure white to purple and crim- 
son and they make a fine show in the garden all summer 
through. 

Sow seed of scarlet sage in a well prepared bed the middle 
of the month, and transplant to beds for blooming. The va- 
riety called Zurich is about the best. Cuttings made in the fall 
can be carried over in pots in winter and they root very easily 
in moist boxes of sand. I carry some over in the greenhouse 
to get cuttings from in early spring, as these bloom earlier than 
the seedling plants. 



GARDEN WORK FOR APRIL 65 

APRIL 

SOW SEED of onions to make sets for fall planting. Sow 
very thickly in rows 15 inches apart in garden soil that 
has been manured the year before, but do not fertilize the 
onions, as we want them to grow only about the size of a boy's 
playing marble. Hence, sow very thickly and in fertile soil, 
but do not push them with extra feeding. 

In the upper South market gardeners will now plant their 
main crop of snap beans. In the home garden, the best method 
is to plant a row, and as soon as that row is well up and takes 
on the rough leaves, plant another row and keep this up till 
August or September so as to have a constant succession in 
good shape for the table. The Black Valentine, for earliest, 
should now be followed by better varieties such as Red Valen- 
tine and Burpee's Green Stringless. Tait's Celestial is the best 
of the wax beans. 

Plant bush lima beans in rows just as we do the snap beans, 
but rather thinly. Six inches apart in the row will be abun- 
dantly thick to plant the Fordhook variety. This belongs to 
the thick or potato lima class, and is far better for the South 
than any of the large white lima beans, as these are always un- 
productive south of the Potomac. The small lima or butter 
bean is more productive in the South. 

Set strong stakes and stretch a 5-foot width of chicken 
wire netting with the lower edge a foot from the ground for the 
climbing beans. Then you can plant them 2 feet apart in the 
rows, make the rows 4 feet apart, and there will be a much 
neater appearance in the garden than with poles. If the gar- 
den is enclosed by a woven wire fence, as mine is, the fence 
makes a fine place for climbing beans and tall late peas, and 
saves room in the garden. 

Having started the tomato plants for the early crop at the 
proper time in February, and having transplanted them in 
frames to get strong and hardy, they can now be set in the open 
ground. It is far "better to set stakes to each plant for the 
early crop and train the plants to a single stem. The fruit will 
ripen earlier and better than on the ground, and the plants can 
be set closer, I make the rows 3 feet apart, set the plants 2 



Bo MASSEY S GARDEN BOOK 

feet in the rows, and make the stakes 6 feet tall. Spraying with 
bordeaux mixture should be done before the plants are taken 
from the frames, again soon after they are set out, and repeated 
every ten days till the tomatoes are half grown. This is to pre- 
vent the leaf blight, and unless the spraying is done the plants 
will soon be losing their lower leaves and the fruit will be in- 
ferior. The mixture can now be had ready-made from seeds- 
men with directions for use. 

The egg plants should be kept under glass or cloth till the 
weather and the soil are well warmed, for if these are set too 
early they will get stunted and make poor plants. 

Keep the onions absolutely clean. This is a crop one must 
get right down to with hands and pull out every spear of grass 
and weeds, for onions will not tolerate weeds. Pull the soil 
away from them so that the bulbs will form on the surface 
with only the roots in the ground. The offsets of the Yellow 
Potato onion can be pulled for use as green onions, as they 
clean up perfectly white. But enough of these should be left 
to mature, as these are the sets for fall planting, since this onion 
never makes seed. 

If the white onions planted last fall from seed-grown sets 
show signs of running to seed, nip out the seed shoot as soon 
as seen and you can save the onion, for if this top is allowed 
to grow, the onion will be hollow and worthless. 

If not provided with frames for starting plants of the 
Prizetaker, Giant Gibraltar and other large Spanish onions, you 
can sow seed of these to make sets, and keep the ripe sets over 
in a cold dark place for spring planting. They will make about 
as large onions as the transplanted plants, but it takes longer to 
get the crop. 

The beds prepared last month for cucumbers and canta- 
loupes should now be somewhat flattened and the seed drilled 
in thinly along the beds. Then when a stand is secured, thin 
them to 20 inches in the rows. A tablespoonful of nitrate of 
soda should be scattered around each hill. This will push them 
along rapidly and increase the earliness of the crop. Keep 
them absolutely clean till the vines cover the ground. Plant 
watermelons in hills 8 x 10 feet, putting a peck of well-rotted 



GARDEN WORK FOR APRIL 67 

manure in each hill, together with a handful of good fertilizer, 
before hilling. Plant plenty of seed to insure a stand. 

All these plants are apt to be attacked by the little striped 
or speckled diabrotica beetles just as they come through the 
soil. Watch the germination and keep the plants covered with 
some dusty material. I use fine raw bone meal or tobacco dust. 
This prevents the beetles and helps the plants at same time. But 
anything that will keep the plants dusty will bother the beetles. 
Spraying with lead arsenate 1 pound in 30 gallons of water 
with a little corn syrup to make it stick will kill them. 

Keep the early cabbages well cultivated till they head. Any 
plant that does not promise to head with the earliest can be 
made to go to heading by pulling it slightly till you hear some 
roots crack. 

Urge the cauliflowers with side dressing of nitrate of soda, 
for it is important to head them before the weather gets hot. 
When the heads appear turn some of the top leaves over them 
to keep the sun off and you will get whiter heads. 

Plant seed of okra in hills 2 feet apart and rows 3 feet 
apart, dropping several seed in a hill ; or plant in rows and chop 
out just as you would cotton. Okra grows very slowly till the 
weather gets hot, and it, too, is helped by side-dressings of 
nitrate of soda. 

The early outdoor lettuce will also be pushed on with ni- 
trate of soda applied between the rows when the plants are dry, 
but not touching the leaves. I have found that this can be best 
applied in the garden by mixing it half and half with plaster. 
When mixed a while beforehand the nitrate absorbs moisture 
and the plaster absorbs it and the whole will get fine and more 
easily applied than when the nitrate is in lumps. 

Early in the month plant seed of sugar corn. The little 
extra early varieties that are grown in the North seldom do 
much in the South, and it is better to start at once with the 
stronger growing varieties like Stowell Evergreen and Country 
Gentleman. The Kendall Giant is earlier than these and is a 
good variety. 

Keep up a succession of the sugar corns till August. The 
late plantings will be best for seed, as the ears will then be 



68 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

more free from the boll worms. A few rows of early sugar 
corn planted in the cotton fields will protect the cotton very 
largely from the boll worms. 

Early Milan turnips can still be sowed early in the month, 
and if you have never tried spring-sowed turnips you will find 
these a treat, and they sell, too. 

Begin to spray the Irish potatoes as soon as they are well 
up with bordeaux mixture in which 1^^ pounds of lead arse- 
nate is added to 50 gallons of the bordeaux. Spray repeatedly 
and thus ward off the blight and destroy the beetles at the same 
time. 

In thinning out the early beets it is best to transplant the 
thinnings. They will come on for use a little later than those 
left in the rows, but will keep up the supply till the late sowed 
beets are ready. 

Celery seed can be sowed about the middle of the month 
and later. 

Tomato seed are sowed outside in early April, and again 
the last of May, using the later varieties. This is to keep up a 
constant succession of good fruit and to have a lot of well- 
grown green ones when frost comes in the fall to ripen in the 
house. 

The second sowing of peas of the better wrinkled sorts 
should now be made to follow the early ones. I plant some of 
the dwarf sorts like Sutton's Excelsior and Laxtonian, and 
also the old Champion of England. 

Sweet potatoes can be set as soon as the danger from frost 
is past. 

Sow now a row of Lucullus chard, and you will have a 
nice lot of greens equal to spinach all summer, for the leaves 
can be pulled like rhubarb and they will keep on making leaves 
till frost. ' • ■ •■( 

Sow curled endive to be transplanted later for heading, to 
take the place of lettuce in hot weather. As the heads develop 
I have some cardboard plant protectors that fold in a conical 
shape and are used to protect plants in spring. These are set 
over the endive plants to blanch them. 



GARDEN WORK FOR APRIL 



69 



Everbearing strawberries have come to stay. One can 
plant them in the spring and have fruit from July till Novem- 
ber. There are three leading varieties — Superb, Americus, and 
Progressive. 

In the Flower Garden 

As the tops of the bulbs of narcissus, hyacinths and tulips 
ripen they can be taken up, cured and stored for fall planting, 
or the tops can be cut off and the plants of China asters set be- 
tween them. 

You can get seed of the coleus, sow in "boxes in a sunny 
window and can get a great variety of the colored leaves for 
transplanting when the weather is finally warm. The seed are 
very fine and need very little cover, and the box should have a 
pane of glass laid over it to retain moisture. Then as soon as 
the little plants are making rough leaves, lift them on the 
blade of a pocket knife and set them in another box to give 
more room and to get hardy plants for setting later in the beds. 

Sow more seed of China aster for late plants. Sow the 
tall branching varieties thinly in a well-prepared bed. They 
transplant easily if taken up carefully and dropped into a basin 
of water and set dripping wet. 

As the gladiolus appear above ground, keep the plants 
clean and pull the soil up to them. The corms should have been 
planted fully 5 inches deep, for the new bulb forms on top the 
old one. Plant a few more bulbs to keep up a succession of 
bloom, and plant again as the newly planted ones appear above 
ground. 

The candidum lilies, the old-fashioned Madonna lilies, will 
now be throwing up their flower stalks. Keep them absolutely 
clean of weeds. The bulbs of this lily are largely imported 
from France, but they can be grown in this country fully as 
well. They die down after blooming and start to grow in the 
fall. The bulbs should not be moved more frequently than once 
in three years. They can then be taken up in summer when the 
tops ripen and divided and replanted at once. 

Set the beds of scarlet sage late in this month. I set them 
in circular beds 10 feet wide and set the plants about 10 inches 



70 massey's garden book 

apart in rows to make a mass of bloom. As fast as the flower 
spikes fade they are cut and saved for seed. Spread them out 
on an old newspaper to dry and later rub the seed out. A bed 
of scarlet sage makes a great show, but should be kept well 
supplied with water, for the plants make immense roots and 
rapidly dry out the bed. 

Dahlias can be planted late in the month. When the old 
mass of roots has made a number of sprouts, cut them up with 
a sprout to each root, for they do far better with a single stem 
than a mass of shoots. Good stakes should be set to each plant 
to tie the stems to and prevent falling. Later on when the 
stalks have grown tall and threaten to make hot weather flow- 
ers I cut them back and cause them to branch bushy and make 
flowers later, when they are much finer. I prefer to have the 
flowers from August to frost rather than in the heat of summer, 
when other flowers are plentiful. 

After the shrubbery, such as forsythias, spireas and wiege- 
lias have made their bloom, cut back all the shoots that have 
bloomed and the plants will make a fine growth for another 
season. 

Roses, of course, we all want. Do not buy the little things 
sent by mail, but get two-year strong plants that have been 
kept dormant. Florists sell these, and while they cost more 
than the little slips sent by mail, they are worth a great deal 
more. Here, too, we have the advantage that in the South 
we can grow the tea roses that do not stand out in the North, 
and can also grow the hardy ones as well. Then, as climbing 
roses, we can grow the yellow and white Banksias, the first 
roses to bloom in spring, and to my mind there are no porch 
climbers finer than the Banksia roses. Of course, we can also 
have the ramblers so popular north, and in a good clay soil we 
can have a mass of roses all summer that are the envy of all 
those living in colder climates. The splendid Marechal Niel, 
the prince of yellow roses, thrives in the South as nowhere 
else, and is as evergreen as the Banksias. 

April is the great planting month for all shrubbery and 
roses, and a garden without shrubbery and roses is rather bare. 



. GARDEN WORK FOR MAY 71 

MAY 

^T 7'T'ITH the disappearance of all frost, garden operations 
\%/ will be rushed and all the more tender crops got- 
^^ ten in. 

Continue planting succession crops such as beans, putting 
in a few as soon as previous plantings are well up. 

Set plants of cabbage for autumn heading. For this plant- 
ing use Succession and Fottler's Brunswick. 

Plant succession crops of sugar corn twice during the 
month, never planting less than three rows so that there will be 
an abundance of pollen, for a single row of corn will seldom 
do well. 

When the celery plants sown last month get 2 or 3 inches 
high take them up and nip the tap root and transplant to an- 
other bed, setting them in rows 10 inches apart and 2 inches in 
the rows, to make strong plants for the final transplanting. 
Keep them absolutely clean, and if they grow too fast, clip the 
tops somewhat, for we want sturdy plants for setting in August. 

Plant squashes, cucumbers, cantaloupes and watermelons 
if not planted in April. 

Set out egg plants the latter part of the month in rows 3 
feet apart and 3 feet in the rows. Give them side-dressings of 
nitrate of soda after they start to grow, and spray with lead 
arsenate to destroy the potato beetles that attack these as much 
as they do potatoes. 

Push along the young okra plants with side dressings of 
nitrate of soda. Give the cucumbers and melons, too, some of 
the nitrate. 

Lettuce, to head before the weather gets too hot, must be 
pushed along and never allowed to suffer from lack of water. 
If the plot of lettuce has been heavily manured and fertilized 
it will be the best place to set the celery plants after the lettuce 
is done, though celery can follow even a later crop. 

Watch every chance to put in something else as the earliest 
crops mature, for in the South we should use every effort to 
keep the garden at work not only all summer but all the year 
round. 



72 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

Set sweet potato plants early in this month. Do not give 
them too strongly nitrogenous fertilizer, but plenty of acid phos- 
phate and potash in the furrows under the beds. Do not hill 
up too high, for we get better and more chunk}' potatoes in shal- 
low ridges, no higher than a good broad sweep will make. 

Sow seed of tomatoes for a crop to follow the early ones 
which are apt to fail by July or be making inferior fruits. For 
this sowing I prefer to use seed of Red Rock, Mississippi Girl, 
or Globe, the first two being red and the last one pink. 

Then, the last of the month, sow a few more seed fgr the 
latest plants to ripen in September and October to give plenty 
of well-grown green fruits which, when frost comes, can be 
wrapped in paper, stored in a cool place and ripened a few at a 
time till Christmas. Plant late tomatoes 4 feet each way and 
let them take their natural habit, but spray them with bordeaux 
mixture to prevent leaf blight. 

The last of the month sow seed of parsnips and salsify 
in rows 16 inches apart. Cover the parsnip seed lightly, and 
when a stand is secured thin them to 4 inches. The salsify will 
do very well thinned to 3 inches or less. 

Cuttings of horse-radish roots can be planted bet^veen the 
early cabbage. Punch holes with a dibble or a crowbar and 
drop the cuttings in and cover. They will start off vigorously 
after the cabbages are cut and will be ready to dig in the fall. 

Side dressings of nitrate of soda will help push many 
things along, especially the leaf crops like lettuce, cabbages and 
kale. 

When spinach begins to run to bloom, turn it all under for 
a later crop of some kind, and all the summer through keep the 
garden at work growing crop after crop, and have plenty for 
the coming winter. 

Leeks in the seed bed must be kept clean and cultivated 
till time to set in their permanent place. I usually transplant 
them in July, but if space becomes vacant and the plants are 
strong they can be transplanted in late ]vlay or June. 

Peppers can be set out early in the month. The Pimiento 
pepper will bear clear through the season till frost and produces 
more than any pepper I have ever grown. 



GARDEN WORK FOR MAY 73 

Pumpkins can be planted in the cornfield; they take too 
much room in the garden. 

In cutting asparagus, cut close down on the crown and 
leave no stump, but be careful not to injure the new shoots just 
starting. It is well to stop cutting early in June, and then fer- 
tilize heavily and cultivate clean the remainder of the season to 
get a strong growth of crowns to make big shoots next spring. 

Early beets, like the Egyptian, get poor in quality in sum- 
mer and it is better to make a succession by sowing seed of the 
Model or the Eclipse in May. A third sowing of the blood 
turnips is also made in June or July for winter use. 

In the Flozver Garden 

Seed of various annuals which transplant easily, such as 
China asters, phlox drummondii, if sown in March or early 
z-\pril, will now be ready to set in the beds. Seed of other plants 
can be sown where they are to remain and be thinned out. Of 
this class the double zinnias are an example. 

The geraniums which, in the North, do so finely bedded 
out, are not suited to this use in the South except in the cool 
mountain valleys, but they can be used to good eflfect in window 
and porch boxes. The zinnias will make showy beds and will 
take the place of the geraniums. 

The everblooming begonias are also excellent for bedding. 
They bloom continuously and stand the sun, and some can be 
taken up and placed in pots to bloom in winter. This class of 
begonias seed very freely, and I grow them from seed every 
year, as they are more rapidly produced in this way than from 
cuttings. The seed are as fine as dust and to start them I sow 
the seed on the surface of the soil in a box early in March 
after watering the soil, and then place a pane of glass over the 
little box to prevent the soil from drying out. They will then 
germinate readily and later can be transplanted and given room 
in another box till large enough to set out in May. Then they 
are cut out of the boxes with a mass of soil and set closely in 
beds. The flowers vary in color from white to crimson. 

Bulbs of the gladiolus can be planted from February to 
June so as to give a succession of bloom. The Oriental poppies 



74 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

are hardy perennials, but are very hard to get to Hve when 
transplanted. Seed sown now will make good plants, and should 
be sown where they are to remain and the plants thinned to a 
foot apart. They will begin to bloom the next year and con- 
tinue for many years to throw up their gorgeous blossoms. 



GARDEN WORK FOR JUNE 75 

JUNE 

ABOUT the last of the month is a good time to sow seed 
of late cabbage and collards for winter keeping and use. 
Some have a notion that good winter heading cabbages 
cannot be grown in the South, and hence depend on collards 
alone. Collards are good, but, personally, I prefer cabbage. 
The important thing is to get good strong plants to set in late 
July or early August. Make the seedbed convenient to water 
and then see that the plants never suffer for lack of it. Use 
the soapsuds from the weekly wash to water the plants and to 
destroy the green caterpillars that will attack them. For set- 
ting and subsequent treatment follow our suggestions for later 
months. 

For the late crop I prefer a good strain of the old Late 
Flat Dutch. The Danish Ballhead is also good, but succeeds 
best on a lighter soil. For quality the Drumhead Savoy is ex- 
cellent. 

If you are marketing the early Irish potato crop, of course 
you can dig as soon as they are of sufficient size, but if you 
propose to grow later on a second crop from seed of the early 
ones, let the potatoes you intend for this purpose fully mature. 
Then, take them up and cut them in halves, spread out on the 
ground, cover with pinestraw and keep that somewhat moist. 
Then watch them, and plant as they sprout. 

Where the potatoes are grown largely for market, prepare 
the ground at once after the potatoes are off, sow to cowpeas 
for the benefit of the soil, or for hay to feed, and follow with 
crimson clover as a winter cover crop to turn under for the 
sweet potato crop the next season. 

Set plants of endive for heading to take the place of lettuce 
in summer, and when well grown tie the leaves together to 
blanch them. Do this when the leaves are dry, for if tied when 
wet they may decay. 

Clip the tops of the celery plants if they grow too strongly. 
You want short and stout plants for setting later. 

Clean out and fertilize the strawberries and do not allow 
the runners to root between the rows, but train them in along 
the row to mate closely. A strong growth now with the crab 



76 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

grass and weeds pulled out will make strong crowns for fruit- 
ing next spring. Keep up this clean cultivation all summer. 

Cutting of asparagus should stop in the South by the 10th 
of June. Then the plot should be well fertilized and cleanly 
cultivated in order to get the strongest possible growth to give 
large shoots the next season. When frost comes, clean off the 
tops and cover the whole bed thickly with manure for the 
winter. 

Plant a row of snap beans at a time, and as fast as one 
row is up, plant another, and keep this up till August in order 
to have a regular succession for the table. The bush lima beans 
and the climbing small lima or butter bean can still be planted. 
A wire fence is a good place for the butter beans. The Ford- 
hook bush lima is the best of the bush sorts. 

The last of the month sow Blood Turnip beets and carrots 
for winter use. I sow the Danvers Half -Long carrot. These 
and the late beets I leave in the rows all winter, throwing a 
slight furrow to each side, and they keep better than if lifted. 

Salsify and parsnip should now be sown. In the North 
these are sown early in spring, but in the South later sowing 
is best, as they are apt to get woody or run to seed here if sown 
early. To get a good germination of parsnips I find it an ad- 
vantage to plant the seed in little bunches about 4 inches apart, 
as a pinch of seed will force its w'ay through more easily than 
a single seed, and the bunches are easily thinned. The salsify 
is sown in a continuous row and thinned while small to 3 inches 
apart. 

Cucumbers for pickling should now be planted. Plant in 
hills 3x5 feet. Use plenty of seed to make sure of a stand in 
spite of the bugs. Dust them over just as they come through 
the ground with plaster or bone dust, or, in fact, any dusty 
material to keep the little striped beetles in check. Tobacco 
dust is good, and will help the plants, too. I plant the Davis 
Perfect. 

Succession plantings of corn should be kept up till late 
July, planting a few rows of the Country Gentleman or the 
Stowell Evergreen as soon as the previous planting is well up. 
The ]\Iammoth sugar corn is stronger in g-rowth and makes 



GARDEN WORK FOR JUNE "^^ 

larger ears, but is not of as good quality as the first named 
sorts. 

The first of June is the best time to set the egg plants out- 
side, for they need the soil to be permanently warm. I keep 
mine in 4-inch pots, setting the pots in a cold frame about the 
20th of May and attending closely to them by covering with 
the sashes on chilly nights, for they are more tender than to- 
mato plants. I grow the Black Beauty and Maule's Excelsior. 
The last is the larger fruited, but the first is more prolific. 

If you sowed leek seed early in spring the plants will be 
ready to transplant the last of June. I set them in open fur- 
rows 3 inches apart, and as they grow pull the soil to them in 
order to get a good long white shank. These are hardy and are 
left in the ground all winter, and come in very nicely till the 
green onions are ready. 

If you like okra and failed to plant earlier, plant now at 
any time till middle of month. I plant the Perkins Long Pod 
and the Kleckley, the first a green podded sort and the latter a 
white one. 

Sweet pepper plants can still be set, but sowing the seed 
now would make them very late. The plants can usually be 
bought from those who grow vegetable plants for sale. 

Green Curled Scotch kale planted in hills like cabbage and 
thinned to one plant in a hill will make immense heads, and 
when touched by frost are very fine — better in my opinion than 
collards. The plants will keep growing most of the winter as 
fast as the leaves are pulled. 

If you want pumpkins stick some seed in the cornfield and 
get all you need. 

Late Irish potatoes can be planted the last of the month and 
up to the middle of July. Plant in deep furrows, cover lightly 
till they start, work the soil to them till level, cultivate shallow 
and level and do not hill as we do early potatoes, but maintain 
a dust mulch to retain the moisture. 

In the Flower Garden 

Very tender bedding plants like coleus will do better by set- 
ting in early June than earlier. 



78 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

Keep the flower beds absolutely clean of grass and weeds. 
Neatness is essential in the lawn and flower plantations. 

Keep the lawn mower going in all favorable weather, but 
do not mow the grass short in a drought. 

Candidum lilies will be blooming by the middle of the 
month. As soon as the flowers fade, cut out the blooming tips 
of the stalks to prevent seed formation which would weaken 
the bulbs. 



GARDEN WORK FOR JULY 79 

JULY 

CONTINUE planting successive crops of snap beans and 
sugar corn. Sugar corn planted now will keep up the 
succession of roasting ears till frost and will also make 
the best ears for saving seed. Kandall Giant and Country Gen- 
tleman are good varieties. The first named is the earlier. 

Sow rutabaga and large White French turnip seed in 
rows and thin them to 4 or 5 inches in the rows. A good plan 
is to run out furrows and put a heavy application of fertilizer 
in them and bed on this. Then flatten the bed slightly and drill 
the seed in with a garden seed drill. These turnips need a 
longer season than the ordinary white and purple-top turnips 
and should be sown earlier. 

In the mountain sections celery plants should be set the 
latter half of the month, but in the warmer parts of the South, 
August is a better time. 

In all warmer sections and the lower South this is a good 
time to sow the seed of parsnips and salsify, which should be 
sown in June in the more elevated and northern sections of the 
South. The plants make their best growth in the fall months 
and up to Christmas and are far better when not sown too early. 
Sown as is common in the North, they will get overgrown, may 
run to seed and the roots will be inferior. 

Keep the fall cabbages well cultivated. Running a bull- 
tongue plow through the rows to snap some of the roots will 
hasten the heading. After the middle of the month, set out 
plants for winter cabbages to head in late November or early 
December. A good strain of the Late Flat Dutch is as good 
as any, and the seed should be sown and treated according to 
directions already given. This will also apply to collards. 

Good tomato plants set the first of the month will give the 
best late fruits in September and October till frost. It is al- 
ways best to make about three plantings of tomatoes to have 
the fruits in prime condition through the whole season, set- 
ting the early forwarded plants in April and another set in 
early June and the third the first of July — seed having been 
sown first in February, then in April and again in late May. 

Egg plants should now be strong and setting fruit. They 



80 massey's garden book 

like a very rich soil and plenty of water, and if allowed to 
suffer from drought they will get stunted and make a poor 
crop. 

As the earliest tomatoes have completed their best fruiting, 
it does not pay to keep them longer after the second planting 
comes into fruit, so I always clean them out when I begin to 
get the later ones and get the ground ready for something else. 

Above all, let no part of the garden get smothered in crab 
grass. This not only robs the soil but is in the way in keeping 
up a succession of crops and makes a harbor for breeding cut 
worms to bother you next spring. Therefore, allow no grass in 
the garden at any part of the season. 

Brussels sprouts set now just as you would set cabbage 
plants will make a swarm of little heads all over the stalks just 
as frost comes, and they will be all the better for some frosting. 
They make fine eating. 

Kohl rabi is another plant of the cabbage family which 
can be sown now. It makes tops like a rutabaga, but the stem 
swells out above ground as large as a good-sized turnip, and 
this stem is the edible part. Peeled and boiled like cabbage, it 
is almost the next thing to cauliflower in taste. 

The early cymlings or squash are apt to fail about this time 
and a late planting will bring good ones in before frost. Squash 
are easily canned, and in winter the canned ones cannot be dis- 
tinguished from fresh ones. 

Tomatoes for canning should not mature too early. Au- 
gust and September tomatoes are far better for canning than 
the earlier ones. 

Snap beans also can nicely, being just as good in winter 
as in summer, and with a little care one can have them on the 
table all the year round. Canned vegetables will make the win- 
ter diet far more attractive and wholesome, and now is the time 
to lay up your supply. 

Instead of letting summer apples and pears go to waste, 
can these, too, as well as the peaches. In fact, put up a full 
supply of canned vegetables and fruits. 

Late in the month, sow garden peas for a fall crop. For 
this sowing Sutton's Excelsior and Thomas Laxton are the 
best. Sow in deep furrows and cover lightly; then work the 



GARDEN WORK FOR JULY 81 

soil to them as they grow so that you can get the roots deep in 
the soil, enabling them better to stand the heat and droughts of 
summer. They will usually give a good crop in the early fall. 
These, too, can be profitably canned. 

A late planting of chard will give leaves for boiling till the 
early fall spinach comes in. 

Get all garden refuse into a compost heap to rot down and 
return to the garden next spring. All the cabbage stumps, old 
tomato vines and, in fact, weeds and refuse of all sorts, will 
make humus for the garden, and even the crab grass which gets 
a start on you will be all right in the compost pile. 

Transplant leeks to open furrows 3 inches apart in rows 
15 inches apart. As they get started in growth, pull the soil to 
them, for we want to get them deep in the ground to make long 
white shanks for winter use. 

Plant the late crop of Irish potatoes the middle of the 
month in the upper South and up to August in more southern 
sections. The methods of planting and cultivating have already 
been discussed under the head of potato growing. 

Sow seed of the Late Flat Dutch cabbage convenient to 
water in a bed made very rich, and grow strong plants for set- 
ting in mid-August. And remember that big cabbage are the 
result of heavy feeding and plenty of moisture. 

Late beets and carrots are sowed in July. A good strain 
of the Blood Turnip beet is good. For carrots I use the Half- 
Long Danvers. 

While for general use a good strain of the Late Flat Dutch 
cabbage will fill the bill, the Drumhead Savoy should not be 
neglected, because it is of especially fine quality. 

Cucumbers for pickles should be planted early in July. 
Plant just as for the early crop, and spray with bordeaux mix- 
ture in which lead arsenate is mixed. 1^ pounds to 50 gallons 
of bordeaux, thus making a fungicide and an insecticide at the 
same time. This will keep the foliage good and check the pickle 
worm. 

Give the egg plants a side dressing of nitrate of soda, and 
if possible irrigate them in dry weather, for they suffer very 
quickly from drought. 



82 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

Pull the ripe onions and let them lie in the sun during the 
day, but spread out under cover before night with the tops left 
on, and when the tops are dry, store in a cool dark place till 
wanted for use or sale. If you have sown onion seed for sets 
they will now be ripe. Take them up and sift the soil from 
them and spread out under cover to cure ready for setting in 
September. 

If you are still growing the old varieties of sweet peppers 
for pickles, you can set plants early in July for the pickles. The 
newer Pimiento pepper bears all the season through from June 
till frost, and needs but one setting of plants. 

In the Flozver Garden 

The tea roses which bloom so profusely in May and June 
should have all the shoots that have bloomed cut back half way 
to start a new growth and bloom. In cutting roses for house 
decoration it is always best to cut good long stems, for the ever- 
blooming tea roses and the hybrid teas bloom on the young 
shoots, and to get a continuous profusion of flowers they need 
heavy manuring and severe cutting to induce plenty of fresh 
blooming wood. 

The climbing roses like the Crimson Rambler and Dorothy 
Perkins will need good treatment after their blooming season 
in May, for they are peculiarly liable to mildew. Spraying with 
a solution of formaldehyde, 1 part to 25 parts of water, is 
usually a good preventive. I also use a preparation called Fun- 
gine, and have found it effective. But do not wait till the mil- 
dew is all over the plant, for you cannot save the mildewed 
leaves, and the only thing you can do then is to prevent it on the 
new leaves. 

The green aphides are often a pest on roses. Spraying 
with a solution of nicotine sulfate will clean these out easily. 
They are apt to be worse in early spring than in hot weather, 
but they appear in some form at any time. 

Keep a sharp lookout for insects of all kinds, for the hot 
season brings many kinds into activity. 



GARDEN WORK FOR AUGUST 83 

AUGUST 

MAKE the first sowing of Big Boston lettuce early in the 
month to make plants for setting in a bed 10 x 10 
inches for fall heading outdoors. The soil must be 
made very rich with manure and fertilizer, and the plants 
should never lack for water after setting in the bed. The seed 
can be sown in rows in the bed and thinned to the proper dis- 
tance, but I have always had better success from transplanting. 

Set plants of the Late Flat Dutch cabbage for heading in 
December for winter keeping. The summer and early fall cab- 
bages should be used or disposed of as soon as well headed, for 
they will burst later. 

Set celery plants the middle of the month in the central 
and upper South, and in the far South sow seed for the winter 
crop. Many of the northern dealers now grow celery plants 
late, especially for southern setting. 

Sow seed of the Norfolk Savoy spinach for the fall crop. 
Sow in rows 15 inches apart and fertilize well, for rapid growth 
is essential to making good spinach. 

Mustard can also be sown for fall greens. 

Sow Moss Curled parsley in a frame where you can pro- 
tect it in winter with cloth. It is perfectly hardy, but to have 
fresh leaves in winter it is best to shelter it from hard freezing. 
The seed germinate slowly and should be sown rather thickly. 
If sown in a sheltered bed in rows and well mulched with 
rough manure in the late fall it may do very well without the 
cloth. 

Early in the month sow seed of the Early Milan turnip for 
fall use, and later in the month sow seed of the Purple Top 
Globe and the Yellow Aberdeen for winter use. Sow these in 
rows 16 inches apart and cultivate clean. The last of the month 
seed of the Seven Top turnip can be sown broadcast to make 
greens for winter and spring. They will be all the better if 
sheltered with green pine boughs in winter. 

The early dwarf garden peas can still be sown early in 
the month in the same manner suggested for last month, and 
will generally be more free from mildew than sown earlier. 
But it will be well to spray them with bordeaux mixture to 
ward off mildew. 



84 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

Sow seed of the Celestial radish in rows in a bed 12 inches 
apart. Make the soil very rich and thin them to 3 inches, for 
they grow as large as a big turnip. Seed of the Red Turnip- 
Rooted Chinese and the Rose-Colored Chinese radish can also 
be sown. Sow all of these about the middle of the month. 
The Celestial is fine boiled like turnips, and is also good raw. 
The Rose-Colored Chinese radish is rather more hardy. It can 
be left in the row, and if well mulched with coarse manure it 
can be pulled all winter, and the roots do not get pithy. 

The Dwarf Essex rape is now commonly sown for hogs 
and other stock, but few realize what fine boiled greens it makes, 
and it will not come amiss to have some in the garden for fall 
and winter greens. 

But for the standard winter greens sow the Norfolk Curled 
kale in rows 15 inches apart, and it and the rape, too, will be 
ready to cut all winter. Boiled greens are wholesome and 
should be continually on hand in every farm garden. 

Plant more snap beans for fall crop and have some for 
canning or putting down in stone jars in brine for the winter. 
We pack these raw in the glass fruit jars and set in the boiler 
with the tops loose to cook and then screw tight, and they keep 
finely. Egg plants are peeled, cut up, and packed in the jars 
and cooked in the same way. Then if taken out in winter, made 
out in cakes and fried, they are as good as if fresh. 

In the latter half of the month sow seed of the Prizetaker 
and Giant Gibraltar onions in a seed bed, and when they are 
the size of a lead pencil transplant them in rows 15 inches apart 
in well enriched soil and they will winter well and make very 
large onions next summer. 

In the colder Piedmont and mountain sections they should 
be sown in January in cold frames under glass and transplanted 
in the early spring, but in all the warmer sections, fall planting 
will succeed. 

Keep the leeks cleanly cultivated and continue to draw the 
soil to them till somewhat mounded up. Leeks are milder than 
onions and make a fine dish in winter. They are perfectly 
hardy and are left all winter where they grew, ready for pull- 
ing at any time. They take the place of green onions very well 



GARDEN WORK FOR AUGUST 85 

till the onions are ready in the spring, and add a great deal to 
the making of an all-t'he-year-round garden. In fact, if one 
watches the chances, the garden will be almost as full of fresh 
vegetables in winter as in summer. 

The latest tomato plants will now be setting green fruit for 
the September and October crop. Keep them clean of the ag- 
gressive crab grass, and they will be all the better trained up 
to stakes in the garden, though in field culture they are usually 
allowed to take their natural habit on the ground. Spraying 
with bordeaux mixture is needed to ward off the leaf blight. 
But for bacterial blight that causes the plants to suddenly col- 
lapse there is no help except to plant in uninfected soil. 

Sow some parsley seed now in a frame where it can be 
protected in winter either with sash or cloth, and it will be ready 
for use all winter. 

Cultivate the late Irish potatoes shallow, level and rap- 
idly, and do not hill them up. We need at this season to main- 
tain a loose dust blanket on the soil to retain moisture. 

A medium early sugar corn like Kendall's Giant planted 
the first of August will in ordinary seasons give some roasting 
ears before frost. 

Celery plants can now be set for the winter crop. 

Keep the green pods of okra cut closely. If you allow it 
to get old and ripen seed, the plants will soon stop making pods. 

In tJic Floivcr Garden 

August is the best time to plant bulbs of the old white lily 
or Lilium Candidum, known also as the Madonna lily. This 
lily must make a good fall growth above ground in order to 
bloom well the next season. The Guernsey lily, Nerine Sar- 
niense, is now still dormant and can be planted, though July 
would have been better. It blooms in late September and then 
throws up its leaves which are green all winter and disappear 
in the heat of summer. 



86 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

SEPTEMBER 

MAKE the second sowing of spinach seed early in the 
month, and about the last of the month sow for win- 
tering over for spring cutting. This last sowing I sow 
broadcast in heavily fertilized soil, and rake the seed in well, 
as they seem to winter better in this way. In the lower South 
this sowing will be in shape for cutting in winter, and the 
Southern truckers commonly sow again in February for the 
latest spring cutting. 

Sow seed of the Early Jersey Wakefield cabbage after the 
middle of the month to make plants for setting in open furrows 
in November. These are the so-called "frost proof" plants. 

The turnip-rooted radishes will still make a crop sown 
early in the month in very good soil heavily fertilized. The 
winter radishes mentioned in August can also still be sown 
early this month. 

About the middle of September, plant sets of the Yellow 
Potato onion for the earliest ripe onion next June. Plant at 
same time sets of the Norfolk Queen and Pearl for green 
onions in early spring. 

Seed of the Prizetaker and Giant Gibraltar and Denia on- 
ions can still be sown in beds and transplanted, as soon as they 
reach the size of a lead pencil in rows 15 inches apart, as we 
plant all onions. These will make very large ripe onions next 
summer. In the upper South the sowing can be deferred till 
January, the seed being then sown under glass in a frame for 
transplanting in spring, but in all the warmer sections of the 
South the fall sowing will be successful. In fact, the early 
Pearl can be sown now and make good green onions in spring. 

In the lower South, Black Valentine beans sown early this 
month will have time to make a crop before frost. 

Seed of cauliflowers can now be sowed. Set in a bed or 
frame 15 inches apart, and protected with cloth in very cold 
weather, having the soil very rich in the frame, they will head 
in April or early May. 

The Norfolk Curled kale can also be sowed in rows for 
late winter and early spring cutting for greens, as can the 
Seven-Top turnip. 



GARDEN WORK FOR SEPTEMBER 87 

The Pimiento peppers can be canned just like snap beans, 
and when boiled in winter are fine. 

If you sowed English peas in August they should be 
sprayed with bordeaux mixture to prevent mildew before 
blooming. 

Give the late Irish potatoes rapid and shallow cultivation. 
They need a dust blanket on the surface to conserve the moist- 
ure in the soil. 

Do not disturb the sweet potato vines. Some think it well 
to pull them loose from the ground, but this does more harm 
than good. 

Any of the fiat turnips will make a crop in good soil sowed 
this month. The Purple Top American Globe is a good variety, 
but for September sowing the strap-leaved varieties are best. 

The asparagus tops which you find full of red berries 
had better be cut and burnt unless you want the bed smothered 
with seedling volunteer plants. But the tops in general should 
not be disturbed till frost. Keep the asparagus clean of weeds 
and grass. 

Lettuce plants from seed sowed in August should now be 
set for heading. I find it best and convenient to plant in beds 
about 6 feet wide and 10 inches apart in the bed each way. I 
lift the plants carefully with a garden trowel and drop them at 
once into a bucket of water and set them dripping wet. Even 
when no water is afterward applied these plants will usually 
live. Of course if the soil is very dry, a good soaking is neces- 
sary. For this planting I use the Hanson and Wonderful, as 
they stand the warm weather of September better than the Big 
Boston. What is needed is a bed heavily manured, and then, 
after the plants start, some nitrate of soda as a side-dressing to 
push them along, for lettuce to be good must be grown fast, and 
if stunted by dry soil or lack of plant food, you will not get 
good heads and many plants will run to seed. 

The middle of the month sow seed of the Big Boston let- 
tuce to set in the frames later. 

In the Flower Garden 

September is the time for planting most of the hardy bulbs 
such as hyacinth, tulip and narcissus. Plant the bulbs 3 inches 



88 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

deep, and after planting cover the beds well with rough manure, 
and as they start in spring rake off the rough part. 

The Roman hyacinths and the Polyanthus narcissus are 
better planted late after the soil gets cold. They are reputed to 
be tender, but this is mainly because they start to grow at once 
if planted early, and in that case will get hurt, but if planted 
late they will remain dormant till February. The best of the 
Polyanthus narcissus is the Paper-White Grandiflora. Grand 
Soliel D'Or is yellow and also good. The so-called Dutch- 
Roman hyacinths are simply small bulbs of the regular Dutch 
hyacinths. They bloom finely and will make large bulbs the 
next season and bloom larger spikes. I prefer to plant these 
rather than the regular sizes, for they continue to give large 
spikes longer than the larger ones. 

Sow seed of the Phlox Drummondii to winter over for 
early spring blooming. In mild winters they will often bloom 
in February, and in any season will make more flowers and 
better than if sown in the spring, as the plants are perfectly 
hardy. 

If you have the large flowered cannas you can save seed 
from them and plant them at once and they will grow in spring 
and you may get some strikingly new varieties. If not conve- 
nient to plant them this fall, put them in a box of moist sand 
and bury the box outside till spring and then sow them. 

Lift the early-planted gladiolus bulbs and separate the new- 
bulb or corm from the old one. Save the little bulblets that 
form under the main bulbs, and sow them at once in rows about 
3 inches deep and they will grow in the spring and make bloom- 
ing bulbs in one season's growth, and in this way you can rap- 
idly increase your supply of this flower. 

Peonies can now be taken up and the roots divided and re- 
planted, setting them with the tops not over 2 inches under the 
surface, for if planted deeply they will not bloom well and they 
need great care in the South to bloom at all. They do best in 
a strong clay loam retentive of moisture. 

The hardy perennial phlox, too, can be divided and re- 
planted, but November is a better time. 



GARDEN WORK FOR OCTOBER 89 

OCTOBER 

(These October notes are for the upper South. Further 
South they will apply to November.) 

THE first of the month make the last sowing of spinach for 
wintering over for spring cutting. This can be sown 
broadcast and raked in. The soil should, of course, be 
well manured. In the lower South sow seed last of month. 

When frost nips the tops of the sweet potatoes, they should 
be lifted at once. This can be best done in dry sunny weather. 
If they are to be stored in a potato curing house, the best way 
is to put them carefully in slatted bushel crates in the field as 
they are dug, and store them in the crates, for the less handling 
done the less danger there will be of bruising or skinning them, 
for it is the skinned places that get infected and start decay. 
Keep out all cut potatoes for immediate use, and under no cir- 
cumstances allow the potatoes to be carelessly thrown in heaps 
in the field. If they are to be stored in the old style banks, 
gather them in baskets in the field, haul them to the banks in 
baskets and place them in the heaps with as much care as you 
would place eggs. 

The late crop of Irish potatoes, too, is to be dug when the 
tops are frosted off. The keeping of these is far more simple, 
for the things to be avoided with the Irish potatoes are heat and 
light, and if they are stored in a perfectly dark place where the 
temperature will be just above the freezing point, all the better. 
In the absence of a dark cold cellar, the best way is to put them 
in heaps and cover with earth thick enough to prevent freezing 
clear through. In most places 6 inches of earth will be an 
abundant cover, and all the better if under a shed to keep the 
earth dry. The sweet potato banks should always be under 
shelter. 

Late cabbages will usually keep growing and heading till 
December, and directions as to keeping these and collards will 
be found in our December calendar. 

Set lettuce plants in the frames for the Christmas crop. 
Frames with glass sashes are far better than cloth, but with 
care you can grow good lettuce under cloth. The soil in the 
frames should be well stufifed with rotten manure, and the 



90 massey's garden book 

plants aided after starting with dressings of fertilizer between 
the rows. Set the plants 8 x 10 inches for the Big Boston. 
The Boston Market and Tennis Ball and the Belmont can be 
set 8 inches each way. Keep the glass or cloth off in all sunny 
weather and do not cover till the nights are quite frosty. Then 
attend to watering, for if the frames are allowed to dry out the 
lettuce will not amount to much. 

The early-sown spinach will now be coming into use. In 
cutting, cut the entire plant and not merely the loose leaves. 

When frost threatens the tomato vines, gather all the well- 
grown green tomatoes and wrap them in paper and store for 
ripening. Then clean up all dead vegetation from the garden 
and put it into the compost heap to rot and finally go back on 
the garden. Never burn any garden refuse, for all the refuse 
will make humus for the soil. 

In the Flower Garden 

When frost cuts the tops of the dahlias it is best to lift 
them and bury in a dry place covered with straw or old news- 
papers, mounding the soil over them. Of course, in most places 
they will keep if merely well covered in winter with coarse 
manure, but then in spring they will grow with a mass of shoots, 
and it is better to have them where you can take them up and 
divide them so as to have a root and one shoot to a plant. 

Cannas, too, should have the dead tops cut off and either 
lifted and buried or else thickly covered where they grew with 
pinestraw and their own dead tops. Take up caladiums or ele- 
phant ears after frost and cut off the tops and roots and store 
the tubers in boxes of dry sand in a warm place. I know that 
they will live out in the warmer sections with a good cover, but 
they are all the better taken up and stored and kept in dry 
sand. 

Tulip, hyacinth and narcissus bulbs can still be planted. 
In fact, I have planted tulips Christmas week and had them do 
as well as if they had been planted earlier. 

Seed of the Phlox Drummondii can still be sown early in 
the month. Canna seed and the little bulblets from the glad- 
iolus can also be sown to grow in spring. 



GARDEN WORK FOR OCTOBER 91 

Take up the gladiolus and separate the new bulbs or corms 
from the old exhausted ones and throw the latter away. Store 
gladiolus in boxes, each variety labeled, or in paper bags put in 
boxes and keep in a cool place, but where no frost gets to them. 

Hyacinths for blooming in pots should be potted and the 
pots buried outdoors for three weeks to get well rooted. Then 
they can be taken up, brought in, put in sunny windows, and if 
well watered, will make good spikes. The dealers make special 
selections of varieties best suited to pot culture. 

The white Roman hyacinths can be planted thickly in shal- 
low boxes of soil and covered well outdoors till rooted. Brought 
into the house then, they will give lots of bloom for Christmas. 
Do not plant these outside till middle of November. 

The Chinese Sacred lily, or narcissus tazetta, can be put 
in bowls of water with pebbles and set in a dark closet to get 
rooted, and will make plenty of flowers if well treated and not 
allowed to dry. Paper-White narcissus can be successfully 
grown in the same way, and hyacinths also set in glasses made 
for the purpose will bloom well in water if allowed to get rooted 
well in the dark. But be sure to have the water changed often. 

Usually it is best to prepare and sow the lawn in the fall. 
To make a good lawn the ground should be broken deeply and 
a heavy application of slaked lime made and worked into the 
soil and then a dressing of any good high-grade fertilizer. With 
the soil in perfect condition the grass is to be sown. Sow a 
mixture of Kentucky bluegrass, red top, sheep fescue and 
Rhode Island bent grass in equal amounts, and use this at rate 
of 50 pounds an acre, for thick seeding is essential to the mak- 
ing of a good lawn. After sowing the grass seed scatter about 
2 pounds an acre of white clover seed. Top-dress the grass with 
bone dust every spring and every four or five years brush in 
some lime. 

Where you already have a Bermuda sod for summer, disk 
the Bermuda over and sow thickly in October with the Italian 
rye grass, and then roll the sod back. The disking will not hurt 
the Bermuda but will be more likely to improve it. The Italian 
rye grass will make the winter and spring lawn green, and die 
out in summer giving place to the Bermuda. 



92 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

NOVEMBER 

LATE in the month the early Jersey Wakefield cabbage 
plants from seed sown in September will be ready for 
planting. Make furrows o feet apart, fill half full with fine 
old manure, on this apply a liberal dressing of acid phosphate 
and then bed on these. Then open a furrow along the crest of 
the bed, the rows running east and west, set the plants in the 
open furrow and deep enough to cover the entire stem, and 
they will usually winter well. In spring when the soil is lev- 
eled, they will be in the proper position in the soil. We want 
to keep them dormant and not excite them into tender growth, 
as is often done when they are set on the south side of a ridge. 

Now cover the whole garden thickly with stable manure, 
hiding every bit of soil, mulching between all the rows of the 
winter vegetables. By spring this manure will be well rotted 
and ready to feed crops far better than would fresh manure 
applied at planting time. 

Lettuce plants can be set between the cabbage plants and 
will generally winter all right and head in spring before the 
cabbage need all the room, the cabbage being set 15 inches apart. 
For this planting the Hanson Wonderful or New York varieties 
are good. 

Set caulifiower ])lants in cold frames six plants to a sash 
and fill in between with close-heading lettuce like the Tennis 
Ball. The frames will need special attention this month to pre- 
vent the lettuce and other plants from growing too tender. Ex- 
pose them fully in all sunny weather, and put the glass on only 
on frosty nights and cold stormy days. 

Seed of the Marrowfat garden pea can be sown this month 
and furnished some brush to climb on. The market growers 
plant them along the rows of dead cotton stalks as a support. 
These peas come in after the extra early peas planted in Jan- 
uary and February. 

November is the best time of the year for planting out 
strawberry plants. They live better now than if planted earlier, 
as the soil will not get dry again, and the plants will get strong 
enough to give a fair crop of fruit in the spring. Raspberries, 
dewberries and blackberries may also be planted now. 



GARDEN WORK FOR NOVEMBER 93 

Set strawberries in rows 4 feet apart and 15 inches apart 
in the rows. Plant blackberries and raspberries 3x6 feet, and 
dewberries 4 feet each way to be tied up to stakes in spring. 

Fruit trees of all kinds except figs should preferably be 
planted in the fall in the South, since the soil does not freeze 
deeply, and the roots will be putting out new fibres to supply 
the trees as the buds swell in spring. Buy trees from the near- 
est good nursery. Get catalogues and make your selections. 
Do not buy from traveling agents, as you can buy cheaper di- 
rect from the nursery. For planting directions, see elsewhere. 

Dig horse-radish the last of the month and trim ofif the side 
roots to make cuttings for spring planting. Cut the lower end 
sloping and the top square across so that you will not plant 
them upside down in spring. The main roots are now to be 
disposed of or buried for winter family use, covering them with 
just enough soil to keep them fresh, for frost will not hurt 
them. The trimmed roots always find a ready market. 

Sow seed of Big Boston lettuce in a frame under glass to 
make plants for setting in other frames in January to follow 
the Christmas crop, this lettuce to head in late winter and early 
spring. Do not plant, however, in the same soil which has 
grown the fall crop. The advantage of having small portable 
frames is that the succession crops can be grown in fresh soil 
by simply moving the frames. 

About the last of November is a good time to cover the 
cabbage that has been headed for winter. Turn the heads over 
toward the north, and bank the soil over the stems and lower 
part of the head and the open top will be shaded from the win- 
ter sun, which does more damage than the cold. Cabbage partly 
headed will head if buried in this way. 

Spinach can of course be cut all winter in the South, but 
it will be far better if well mulched with stable manure. 

Right now I take my little garden plow and throw a furrow 
to each side of the rows of onions, carrots and beets as a winter 
protection. The earth will be pulled away from the onion rows 
in March so that the onions will form on the surface with only 
the roots in the soil. 

Cut out all the blackberry and raspberry canes that fruited 



94 MASSEY's garden BOOK 

this year if this has not already been done. New plants can 
now be set. Blackberries and raspberries are planted in rows 
6 feet apart and 3 feet in the rows. Dewberries to be tied up 
to stakes can be set 4 feet each way. The runners should lie on 
the ground all winter and be tied up in spring. 

Prune scuppernong vines in November when needed, for 
they will bleed less now than if pruned at any other time. The 
cluster grapes are better left till March. 

In the Floiver Garden 

Plant now any of the hardy bulbs that have not been 
planted earlier. Late in the month, after the soil has gotten 
cold, plant the white Roman hyacinths and the Paper-White 
narcissus and the Chinese Sacred lily, and narcissus tazetta, for 
in the South these will do as well outside as in the bowls of 
water in the house. But they can still be planted in the bowls, 
keeping in the dark till rooted. 

Plants of pansies grown from seed sown in August can 
now be set in cold frames under glass sashes. Set 6 inches 
apart they will give plenty of flowers in late winter and early 
spring. Beds outside can also be set with pansies for spring 
blooming, for they make better flowers early in the spring than 
after the weather gets hot. 

All kinds of bulbs like hyacinths, narcissus and tulip can 
also be planted in the frames and will give earlier flowers than 
outside. At the same time the frames will protect them from 
the cold that often cuts the early blooms in the open ground. 

Mignonette seed planted under the sashes will give an 
abundance of their fragrant spikes of bloom in late winter, and 
Phlox Drummondi will bloom all winter in the frames. 

The beds of bulbs planted in the fall should always have a 
thick coat of manure on the beds, and the rough part raked off 
as the plants begin to shoot in early spring. None of the bulbs 
like manure in direct contact with them, but are greatly helped 
by top dressings of manure. 

If delayed in getting the bulbs of tulips, hyacinths, etc., 
earlier, they can be planted at any time up to Christmas, but 
earlier planting is best except for the Paper- White narcissus 



GARDEN WORK FOR NOVEMBER 95 

and the White Roman hyacinth. In fact, it is well to remem- 
ber that the planting dates suggested by authorities mean the 
best time, though many things can be planted and many seed 
sown earlier or later than the dates suggested. 



96 massey's garden book 

DECEMBER 

IF the Wakefield cabbage plants were not set last month they 
may still be transplanted. In fact, where a hard freeze inter- 
fered, I have known them planted in January with success, 
after the soil had thawed out. 

If not already done, get the manure mulch on the whole 
garden at once. You will get far better results by having ma- 
nure rotting on the ground all winter than by spreading fresh 
manure in spring. 

On the general truck patch outside, I assume that you 
sowed crimson clover as a winter cover, which is not available 
in the garden proper where we should have most of the soil 
occupied by the winter crops. 

But for sweet potatoes especially there is nothing equal to 
a coat of crimson clover turned under when mature, having the 
plants set on the general level and the only hilling done in the 
cultivation with sweeps. With the turned-under clover, the 
sweet potatoes will need only acid phosphate and some potash 
when available. 

If your sweet potatoes are stored in banks see that the rain 
is kept off the banks. It will pay well to build a shed over them, 
for if the water gets through and wets the pine straw they will 
not keep well. If stored in a curing house watch the tempera- 
ture closely, and try to keep it not above 50 degrees nor lower 
than 45 degrees after the potatoes have been dried oft" at a high 
heat. 

In the lower South the early Irish potatoes may be planted 
late in this month, but even in north Florida there is danger 
that they may get up too early and be nipped by the frost in 
February. I have tried December planting in North Carolina, 
but there would prefer to wait till February. Of course you can 
save them when up by throwing a furrow over the tops when 
frost threatens, and in the lower South it is important to plant 
early and have the potatoes out of the rush of early spring 
work. 

If not set in November, set cabbage plants now for early 
spring heading. These winter better if set in open furrows 
running east and west, and deep enough to cover the entire 
stem. 



GARDEN WORK FOR DECEMBER 



97 



In the lower South, cauHflower plants can be set, but in the 
upper South these will be safer under cloth till February. 

The English Broad beans can be planted about Christmas 
and will come in green with the peas in spring, and are then 
quite good. They do not mind the cold but succumb soon to 
heat if planted too late. 

Lettuce plants can be set between the early cabbage plants 
and will usually winter well and head in spring. The Hanson 
and the Wonderful or Shellem lettuce will be better for this 
planting than the Big Boston, which runs to seed with the first 
warmth of spring. 

Lettuce in frames should be fully exposed in all mild and 
sunny weather, and should not be allowed to get too dry. 

In the Flozuer Garden 

This is a good time to do mulching. For general mulching 
either straw or leaves may be used. To mulch roses, use a half- 
decayed, strawy manure placed 6 inches deep around the bushes. 

It may also be well to give some of the tender shrubs and 
plants a protecting wind-break of boughs or boards. 



IV.-SMALL FRUITS 

Strawberries 

THE most popular and generally grown small fruit is the 
strawberry. The best time to set strawberry plants in the 
vSouth is in November or early December. Plants set in 
November will get a good growth and make a fair crop in the 
spring. Spring-set plants should not be allowed to fruit, but 
should have the blooms picked off, so that the plants can get 
strong. In garden culture the rows may be made 3 feet apart. 
In field culture where horse-power cultivation is used, the rows 
should be 4 feet apart. 

I prefer not to use stable manure with strawberries, as it 
brings in too many weeds and grasses. With potash as scarce 
as it is when this book is written, the best fertilizer we can use 
is a mixture of equal parts of cottonseed meal and acid phos- 
phate. 

Open the furrows and put the fertilizer it at rate of 500 
or more pounds an acre and bed on it. Flatten the beds half 
way and set the plants 15 inches apart in the row. Keep cleanly 
cultivated during the following summer, and train the runners 
in along the rows to make a matted row, and keep the middles 
clean cultivated. After the fruiting season, apply another 500 
pounds of the fertilizer mixture and continue the cultivation, 
pulling out weeds and grass. Then the plants will make strong 
crowns for the next season's fruiting. 

I would only take two crops from a bed, and would set a 
new bed every fall, for the old bed will get choked with grass 
and clover, and we get far better fruit by renewing the beds 
frequently. 

Several varieties that fruit continuously through summer 
and fall have been recently introduced. Of these the Progres- 
sive is the best. I find that it is best to treat these almost as 
annuals ; that is, set the plants in spring, keep all the blossoms 
off till June, and then they will fruit till November. The fol- 
lowing spring the}^ will set a full spring crop, and after this is 
off, turn them under for some later crop, for after they have 

98 



DEWBERRIES AND BLACKBERRIES 99 

made a good spring crop the late summer and fall crop will be 
small. In the meantime, plant more every spring. They are 
useful for family consumption and a nearby market, but are 
hardly of value for distant shipping. 

For the annual spring crop the best varieties are Early 
Ozark for the earliest; then Chesapeake, the best of all; for 
large berries, Aroma, Big Joe and Amanda, the largest of all. 

Dewberries and Blackberries 

Dewberries should be planted about 4 feet apart each v/ay, 
and the canes tied up to stakes in the spring, and clean cultiva- 
tion given. The same fertilizer as for strawberries will be 
good for these and for blackberries. They, too, can be planted 
in the fall. Dewberries, like raspberries, are cut out after fruit- 
ing and new canes grown for the next season. These are best 
allowed to trail along the rows till the following spring and then 
tied up to the stakes for fruiting. 

The earliest and best dewberry for family use is the Aus- 
tin. It is too soft for shipping, and can only be used at home 
or a near market. Lucretia is also fine, large and a firm ship- 
ping berry. The Atlantic is the latest, as it ripens in August. 
It is a large, fine berry, and the plants are rather pretty with 
their finely cut leaves. 

The blackberries will need no stakes and should be planted 
in rows 6 feet apart and 3 feet in the rows. Clean cultivation 
is needed by these also. After fruiting, cut out the old canes 
and allow three or four new ones to grow for the next season. 
Keep all other suckers chopped out or you will soon have a 
tangled mass. It is well to pinch the tips of the new canes 
when about 3 feet high to cause them to branch. Dewberries 
or blackberries can occupy the same place for a number of 
years if the soil is regularly fertilized. 

Of blackberries the Early Harvest is the earliest, and a pro- 
fuse bearer of medium sized berries, with a flavor peculiar to 
this variety. El Dorado is a strong grower and produces very 
large fruits of fine flavor. Blowers is also large and sweet. 
Joy is one of the newest and very hardy and productive of large 
berries. Leader is also new, and claimed to be remarkably pro- 



100 massey's garden book 

ductive — one grower claiming to have made about 8,000 quarts 
an acre. Nanticoke is a tremendous grower and should be 
planted 6 feet each way. It is terribly thorny, but is the latest 
blackberry grown, ripening in August and running into Sep- 
tember. The fruit is large and sweet, but too soft to ship ; good 
for home use, but too rank and fierce for the garden proper. 

Raspberries 

So far as soil conditions and fertilization are concerned, 
the raspberry needs the same treatment as the blackberry and 
the same distances in planting. The Black Cap varieties usually 
do better in the South than the red ones, but all of them can be 
grown with proper treatment. The red raspberries can be 
grown without any stakes, but will do better in the garden with 
strong stakes set in the rows and a wire stretched about 4 feet 
from the ground, the fruiting canes tied out fan-shaped to this 
wire and the tips pinched as they get above the wire to make 
branching. The Black Caps should have the same wire, and the 
canes pinched and tied out on the wire. 

Red raspberries are increased by suckers or cuttings of the 
roots. The root cuttings make the best plants. They are cut 
about 3 inches long and buried in boxes of sand in winter, and 
in the spring planted in rows to make a season's growth before 
setting where they are to fruit. The Black Caps propagate rap- 
idly if we bury tips of canes in summer, and every tip 
in the soil will make a new plant by fall. But unless new plants 
are needed the canes should be kept up to the wire and not al- 
lowed to touch the ground, as they will fruit better the next 
season. Like the blackberries and dewberries, the old fruiting 
canes must be cut out after fruiting and new canes grown for 
the next season. The Black Caps not only root at the tips but 
some of them sucker freely and these must be kept down to 
prevent the plants getting too thick. 

While the Black Cap raspberries and dewberries will root 
from the tips of the young canes when covered with earth, all 
the blackberries and raspberries will grow from root cuttings, 
and the best plants are grown in this way. The long roots are 
cut into pieces about 3 inches long and buried in the fall in 
boxes of sand, and in the spring planted in rows about 4 inches 



CURRANTS GOOSEBERRIES GRAPES 



101 



apart in the rows and the rows wide enough for cuUivation, 
and they will make fine plants by fall. This is especially the 
best way to grow the red raspberries. Plants set in the fall 
with a good length of cane left will make some fruit the fol- 
lowing season, but it is always best to cut them back near the 
ground to get a strong growth for fruiting the second year. 
Dewberries root from tips or root cuttings. 

Of the class of the red raspberry, there are varieties with 
red and some with yellow fruit, and seed of the red ones will 
sometimes produce yellow- fruited plants. The yellow ones 
make a pretty addition in the garden but the main dependence 
is usually on the red ones. The most popular red raspberry is 
the Cuthbert. It is called the "Concord of Raspberries," being 
as generally planted as the Concord among grapes. It is a 
strong grower and good bearer. Golden Queen is yellow- fruited 
and was grown from seed of the Cuthbert. Ohta is a new red 
raspberry that has proved to be of the highest quality. St. 
Regis is a red berry which has been largely grown of late years. 
It fruits both spring and fall, but in my garden I have found it 
very unproductive, making a small crop at both seasons, so I 
do not advise planting it. Of the Black Cap varieties there are 
some which make purple fruit and are more acid than black 
ones. The Cumberland is the largest berry of the black ones, 
and is medium early. Black Pearl is fine and early and Gregg 
is as good a late one as any. 

Currants and Gooseberries 

While the red currants, such as the Cherry and Wilder, 
will make some fruit in the South when planted in strong, moist 
clay loam, they do not fruit as they do in the North, and the 
gooseberry is uniformly unproductive in the South and becomes 
a cumberer of the ground. In the cool mountain valleys both 
these fruits may be grown, but in all the warmer sections of 
the South they will give very little fruit. 

Grapes 

All the varieties of our native grapes flourish in the South. 
The varieties of the Rotundifolia or Vulpina class to which the 



102 massey's garden book 

Scuppernong belongs come to the greatest perfection in the 
sandy soils of the coast region, though they may be grown any- 
where outside the high mountain region. 

The Scuppernong and the black- fruited varieties are all 
generally grown on arbors, and as a rule their pruning is neg- 
lected till the vines become a mass of wood and consequently 
less productive. These grapes should be pruned as regularly 
as any, but the only time to do it safely is in November. The 
pruning should consist of cutting out all the dead and stunted 
wood and training out all the one-year and two-year canes, for 
they fruit on the two-year wood. The Scuppernong very com- 
monly makes imperfect flowers that are deficient in pollen, and 
if there are not plenty of wild barren male plants growing 
around, they may be unproductive. The best way to treat an 
unproductive Scuppernong is to plant a barren male muscadine 
nearby so that the bees will carry the pollen to the scuppernong, 
while the male vine will, of course, make no fruit itself. 

While the Scuppernong and its class are always grown on 
arbors, it is also true that horizontal training is best in the South 
for any grape rather than the vertical trellis. In extended ex- 
periments in North Carolina with the bunch grapes of the La- 
brusca and Aestivalis class, I found that the best method is to 
plant the vines in rows 10 feet apart and 8 feet in the rows. 
Then set stout posts along the rows about 10 feet apart and 
about 6 feet high. Across the top of these bolt cross pieces of 
3x4 scantling 2^^ feet long. Then stretch a wire along the 
top of the post and a wire to each end of the crossbar, making 
three horizontal wires. The first year one strong cane is grown 
to a stake till it reaches the central wire. In spring this is 
pruned to the height of the wire and two canes or arms are 
grown each way on the central wire. These are pnmed to 4 
feet. The fruiting shoots then are trained to hang over the 
outer wires and the fruit clusters hang beneath. Two new 
canes are grown the same season from the centre, and the old 
canes cut out the follov/ing March, and this renewal is kept up 
from year to year. 

Of course the soil must be kept manured and fertilized 
every year to maintain a strong growth. While the only proper 
time to prune the Scuppernong and its class is in November, as 



GRAPES 103 

they bleed less at that time, the cluster grapes should not be 
pruned till early March. If these are pruned in the fall they 
are apt to make an untimely start in the spring and a return of 
cold will kill the young shoots. 

Of the Scuppernong class, of course, the true Scuppernong 
is desirable. The James makes larger fruits and is earlier, and 
is black in color. Flowers is also good, and there are many 
good black seedlings of the Scuppernong. The Mish is smaller 
than the James, and one of the best bearers. 

Of the bunch grapes the best varieties for the South are 
the Concord, Niagara, Delaware, Lutie, Diamond, and Green 
Mountain. Moore's Early is similar to Concord but earlier. 
Brighton is a very fine early red grape which needs to be set 
with other varieties to insure good setting of the fruit. 

All grapes can be well grown from layers, but that is about 
the only good way to increase the Scuppernong and its class. 
To grow the plants get a good long cane from the base of the 
vine and open a trench about 3 or 4 inches deep. Lay the cane 
in this and peg it fast and then wait till the shoots from the 
eyes have grown above the surface. Then fill the trench with 
the soil and pack it firmly. In the fall you will find roots made 
at every joint and each shoot can be separated to form a new 
vine. 

The bunch grapes can also be grown in the same way, but 
are usually grown from cuttings. The cuttings are made with 
three joints of the season's growth in the fall. Cut square 
across under the lower bud and 2 inches above the upper one. 
Tie the cuttings in bundles with a label of the name of the va- 
riety in each and bury them outdoors, upside down, till spring. 
For some unknown reason they root better in spring when 
buried upside down. Then, in spring, set the cuttings in rows 
for cultivation, setting them so that the top bud is about an 
inch above the surface. Nearly all of them will be well rooted 
in the fall and can then be transplanted to the vineyard or 
garden. 



v.— PLANT DISEASES AND INSECTS 

How to Treat Each Vegetable, Berry, Flower, Etc., for 
Diseases and Pests 

{The reader will note that here, as in the general directions 
for cultivating the various vegetables given earlier in this zrol- 
ume, the plants are treated in alphabetical order.) 

THE spray pump and materials for fighting the various dis- 
eases of plants and for warding off the attacks of insect 
enemies constitute an important part of the garden equip- 
ment. Nearly every crop we grow or vine or shrub we plant 
has its diseases and its insect enemies. 

Experiment station investigators have studied the nature 
of the numerous fungus diseases that attack plants, and have 
studied the life history and habits of the insects, and have 
worked out remedies and preventives. 

Bordeaux mixture is the most generally used spraying ma- 
terial for prevention of the various mildews, blights, and fungus 
diseases in general. To make the mixture, slake 5 pounds of 
fresh lime in a barrel, and then add water enough to make it 25 
gallons. In another cask hang 5 pounds of copper sulfate in a 
flour-sack in hot water till dissolved. Then make this 25 gal- 
lons. Then pour the two together slowly, stirring all the time, 
and it is ready to strain into the sprayer. Use while fresh. 

The uses of bordeaux mixture are multitudinous. It is 
used for spraying tomato plants, in the seedbed and several 
times after setting out, to prevent leaf blight and rot. It is 
used for spraying grape vines in early spring and twice or three 
times after blooming, to ward off mildew and rot. It is used 
for spraying Irish potatoes to prevent blight, and with Ij^ 
pounds of lead arsenate added to the 50 gallons, it will prevent 
blight and destroy the Colorado beetles at the same time. It is 
used for spraying orchards to prevent scab, and with the poison 
added it is used for spraying apple trees just as the bloom falls, 
to destroy the codling moth larvae. And in many other cases 
it is used both as a fungicide and an insecticide. 

104 



PLANT DISEASES AND INSECTS 



105 



Beans (Snap) are subject to pod rust or anthracnose. This 
is conveyed generally by affected seed, and if healthy seed are 
planted the disease may be prevented by keeping the plants 
covered with the bordeaux mixture. 

Beets — The bordeaux mixture is also used for spraying 
beets to prevent leaf spot and root rot. 

Cabbage in some soils are affected by club root, large knots 
forming on the root and checking the growth, caused by a fun- 
gus growth. This disease can be prevented by heavily liming 
the soil. Aphides or plant lice also infest cabbages. The best 
thing to destroy these is tobacco in some form or the commer- 
cial sulfate of nicotine sold as "Black Leaf 40" by seedsmen. 
This will destroy plant lice of all kinds. Aphine is another sim- 
ilar article. Of late years another disease has attacked cabbages 
in the South. This is called "yellow side" and other common 
names. It is caused by a minute fusarium fungus, and so far 
no preventive has been found, and all that can be recommended 
is to avoid infected soil and never repeat cabbages after cab- 
bages or turnips or radishes. The green worms or caterpillars 
which riddle the leaves of the late cabbages can be controlled 
by spraying with lead arsenate 1 pound in 30 gallons of water. I 
have also found that taking a watering can and dousing the 
cabbages every week with the soapsuds from the family wash 
will keep the worms down and promote the growth of the cab- 
bage. In fact, anything that promotes a rapid growth will 
drive the cabbages ahead of the worms. The harlequin bug 
(murgantia histrionica), called also terrapin bug, is one of the 
worst enemies of the cabbage, and no spraying that is strong 
enough to kill them can be used without also damaging the 
plants. The best plan is to sow mustard or turnips between 
the cabbage rows. The bugs prefer these to the cabbages, and 
will gather on them and can then be dosed with pure kerosene, 
killing both plants and insects. 

Celery is affected by sun-scald in dry situations and also 
by leaf blight. This can be prevented by spraying with the bor- 
deaux mixture. 

Chrvsanthemums are attacked by black aphides, and the 
sulfate of nicotine will destroy these, and spraying with bor- 
deaux mixture will keep the foliage clear of fungus leaf spot. 



106 massey's garden book 

Cucumbers, squash and cantaloupes are subject to mildew 
and leaf blight, which can be prevented by spraying with bor- 
deaux mixture. But for these a milder mixture should be 
used — 4 pounds of copper sulfate and 6 pounds of lime in 50 
gallons of water. The worms that bore into cantaloupes and 
cucumbers can be destroyed by adding l^/^ pounds lead arsenate 
to 50 gallons of the bordeaux mixture, thus keeping the foliage 
good and destroying the worms at the same time. The spray- 
ing must be repeated several times. 

Egg plants are subject to anthracnose and also to leaf spot, 
both of which can be prevented by using healthy seed and reg- 
ular spraying. They are also attacked in some soils by the 
southern bacterial blight, which is so troublesome with the to- 
mato in the South. The only way to avoid this is to plant in 
uninfected soil. Much can be done toward breeding a blight- 
resistant egg plant or tomato by taking seed from plants that 
survive while others around them die. 

Grapevines are subject to anthracnose or bird's eye rot. 
This disease affects not only the fruit but all parts of the vine. 
This is controlled by painting the dormant canes with a solu- 
tion of sulfuric acid and sulfate of iron with a brush. It black- 
ens the canes and this shows when it is effective. For black 
rot spray the vines before the buds swell and spray the trellis 
or arbor, too, with full strength bordeaux mixture. Then, after 
blooming it over, spray again and repeat every ten days till the 
grapes are half grown. This will also prevent mildew, except 
the powdery mildew which is best treated by dusting with flow- 
ers of sulfur. 

Onions are sometimes attacked by mildew. Destroy all 
affected plants and then spray with bordeaux mixture. For 
the onion maggot, open a small furrow along the rows a little 
distance from the plants and pour into it carbon bi-sulfide and 
cover at once. 

Garden peas in hot weather often mildew. Bordeaux mix- 
ture with some soapsuds added to make it stick better will cure 
this. Peas sown for a fall crop are more apt to be affected 
than the spring crop. 

Dry peas, beans and corn are all liable to be attacked by 



PLANT DISEASES AND INSECTS 107 

weevils which have laid eggs in the green peas, etc., these now 
hatching out and making holes in the seed. To destroy the 
weevils put the seed in a close box and then pour some carbon 
bi-sulfide in a pan or saucer and set on top of the seed and close 
up tight till the mixture has all evaporated. The fumes are 
heavier than air and will sink through the mass of seed and kill 
the weevils. Keep the chemical away from all fire, for the 
fumes will explode more quickly than gasoline. 

Irish potatoes are very subject to insect pests and fungus 
diseases. In the spring the flea beetles make the starting points 
for the early blight, causing the tops to die unseasonably, and 
the late blight or rot afifects tops and tubers alike. Then, the 
Colorado beetle is always with us, and the potato grower must 
fight for his crop. The early blight can be warded off by 
spraying with the bordeaux mixture, and the tops kept healthy 
to maturity. At the same time we can destroy the Colorado 
beetle and the flea beetle by adding ly^ pounds of lead arsenate 
to each 50 gallons of the bordeaux mixture. The lead or the 
zinc arsenate will be better than Paris green, since these forms 
of arsenate do not injure the leaves as Paris green sometimes 
does, and they keep mixed with the bordeaux better than Paris 
green, and also stick better. The spraying should begin as 
soon as the potatoes are well above ground, for the Colorado 
beetle begins to crawl around and lay eggs as soon as the pota- 
toes appear, and while these old beetles eat little, they do eat 
some, and every one killed means the prevention of hundreds 
of the destructive larvae. The spraying should be repeated 
every ten days — or sooner, if rain washes ofif the poison. Late 
Irish potatoes are often less troubled by the beetles than the 
early crop, but the spraying should not be omitted, for the worst 
disease of the potato is then apt to attack them — the late blight 
or rot. Early and regular spraying will surely prevent this dis- 
ease. 

Blackberries and raspberries are sometimes attacked by 
what is called the orange rust, the stems and foliage becoming 
covered with an orange colored fungus. The only thing to do 
in this case is to dig out and burn every infested plant. Spray- 
ing before an attack may prevent it, but after it gets there, no 
amount of spraying will cure it. 



los massey's garden book 

Roses arc attacked by mildew, causing the leaves to curl 
and wither. Roses also sometimes have black spots on the 
leaves caused by a different fungus. These can be prevented by 
early and repeated spraying with bordeaux mixture, but this 
makes the plants unsightly, and it is better to begin to spray 
early with a solution of formaldehyde 1 pint in 30 gallons of 
water. The rambler roses are peculiarly liable to mildew and 
the spraying should begin as soon as the leaves are grown, and 
then after the bloom is over. In some sections the rose bug or 
rose chafer is the worst pest of the season. For a remedy, be- 
gin to spray as soon as the plants show signs of bloom with a 
mixture of lead arsenate 1 ounce to a gallon of water with a 
c|uart of corn syrup to make it stick. If rain comes, it must be 
at once repeated and kept up till the attack is over. 

Spinach is often attackd by anthracnose and mildew, but 
the copper sprays cannot be used on these edible leaves, and we 
can only hope that the plants may outgrow the trouble, or plow 
them under if they don't. 

Strawberries are subject to leaf blight, rust or mildew, all 
which may be prevented by spraying with bordeaux mixture 
when not in fruit. They are also attacked by various insects 
that can be sprayed with lead arsenate when there is no fruit on 
the plants. But the worst insect is the weevil that attacks the 
blossoms, and for this no effective remedy has yet been dis- 
covered. Consult Farmers' Bulletins Nos. 80, 132 and 243 of 
the Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, which will 
be sent on request. 

Szvect potatoes suffer chiefly from black rot. The way to 
avoid this is never to bed any potatoes showing brown blotches 
on the skin, and never bed twice in the same place. To get 
healthy potatoes for bedding make cuttings from healthy vines 
in August and plant these to make a crop of small potatoes for 
the next spring's bedding. With proper care the crop can be 
kept free from disease if the same land is not used year after 
year for the crop. 

Tomatoes are subject to leaf blight, and various fungus 
rots, all of which can be prevented by early and repeated spray- 
ing with bordeaux mixture, except what is called the tip rot, 



PLANT DISEASES AND INSECTS 109 

which does not seem to be caused by fungus but by alternations 
of drought and wet. Spray in the seedbed and then after set- 
ting the plants spray every ten days till the fruit is half grown. 
Spray with lead arsenate for the Colorado beetle. The big 
green tobacco worms are often troublesome, but hand picking 
will easily keep them down. Tomatoes are also affected by 
two species of wilt. The first is the Fusarium wilt. This can 
be overcome by breeding resistant strains, by taking seed from 
a plant that remains healthy while others around it die. Then 
by regular selection of the most resistant plants for seed, we 
can grow a healthy crop. The other and worse wilt in the 
South is the bacterial wilt. This wilt manifests itself by the 
sudden collapse of the plant when full of green fruit. There is 
no remedy for this wilt, and all that can be done is to plant in 
uninfected soil. 

Turnips are attacked by the harlequin or terrapin bug. 
About the best preventive is to sow a lot of mustard early be- 
fore sowing the turnips and nearby the turnips. The bugs will 
gather on the mustard and can be destroyed by spraying with 
clear kerosene. This, of course, destroys the mustard also and 
it is well to make another sowing of this to come in along with 
the turnips to gather more of the bugs. Turnips are also at- 
tacked by plant lice or aphides. For these spray with a strong 
decoction of tobacco stems in water or with some of the con- 
centrated sulfate of nicotine preparations. There are several 
of these nicotine preparations. One sold under the name of 
"Black Leaf 40" is made by the Tobacco Products Co., of 
Louisville, Ky. Another is known as Aphine, and is made by 
the Aphine Company, of Madison, N. J. Most of the leading 
seedsmen keep these on sale. They have to be largely diluted 
with water for spraying. But bear in mind that no treatment 
will avail completely if you wait for disease to develop on your 
plants. We spray to prevent rather than to cure the fungous 
diseases that attack our garden plants. 



VI— HANDY REFERENCE TABLES 

STANDARD VARIETIES OF GARDEN VEGETABLES 

The amateur gardener is often puzzled by the long list of varieties of the 
difTerent vegetables given in seed catalogs. Hence, as a matter of assistance, 
I give the following list of varieties that have proven good. Doubtless there 
are other good varieties, but many of those given in the catalogs are so 
much alike that it is needless to extend the list. 

Asparagus — The Palmetto has generally proved best. 

Snap Beans— Black Valentine for earliest. Red Valentine, Burpee's Green 
Pod Stringless. Celestial for wax beans. Of the pole varieties, Kentucky 
Wonder, Berger's Green Pod Stringless. The last is white and good either 
for snap or dry beans. 

Lima Beans— The large white lima beans are not heavy croppers in the 
South, while the small lima or butter bean is a good producer. Of the larger 
limas the Bush Fordhook is one of the best. It belongs to the thick or potato 
lima class. Henderson's Bush Lima belongs to the small lima class. I have 
found the Fordhook productive and good. The climbing small lima grown on 
chicken wire netting will give an abundant crop, and to my taste is better 
than any large lima. 

Beets — For the earliest the Egyptian is good, but soon gets poor. The old 
Bassano beet is early and of fine quality; its light color and big top have 
prevented its being used by the market growers, though there is none better 
for family use. For the late crop Bastian's Blood turnip is good. The best 
variety of the chard beet is the Lucullus. This is grown only for greens. 

Cabbage— For fall sowing and setting the Early Jersey Wakefield is best. 
Copenhagen Market is good to sow in frames in winter for spring setting to 
follow the Wakefield; it runs to seed if sown in the fall. Early Summer and 
Succession are geod for late summer and early fall. For late winter cabbage a 
good strain of the Late Flat Dutch is as good as any. The Danish Ball Head 
is also good. Drumhead Savoy is also fine. 

Carrots — For the earliest Early French Forcing, then Chantenay and for 
late the Danvers Half-Long. 

Cauliflower— Extra Early Snowball. 

Celery — The self blanching varieties are good for the North but are more 
ornamental than good. Celery is a late and winter crop in the South and only 
the green sorts that are blanched in earth should be used. The Giant Pascal 
is as good as any. 

Com — For the earliest planting the Norfolk Market corn. Then follow with 
the sugar corn, Kendall's Giant, Country Gentleman and Stowell's Evergreen. 
The extra early sugar corns do not amount to much in the South. 

Cucumbers— Davis Perfect and Klondyke are good. The first named is also 
best for late planting for pickles. It has also been sold under the name of 

Challenge. 

Egg Plants— Black Beauty is the earliest and most productive. New York 
Improved is rather a more robust grower and makes larger fruits. 
Endive — Green Curled. 

Horse Radish — ALiliner Kren or Bohemian. 
Kale — Green Curled Scotch or Norfolk Favorite Curled. 
Kohl Rabi— Early White Vienna. 
Leek5— Mammoth Carentan and American Flag. 

110 



HANDY REFERENCE TABLES 



111 



Lettuce— For fall crop in open ground, Hanson. For frames in early winter, 
Big Boston. For spring setting outdoors, Hanson and Wonderful. For a curled 
leaf lettuce in fall, Grand Rapids. 

Muskmeloiis— Better known as Cantaloupes in the South. Eden Gem and 
Knight for green-fleshed sorts. Emerald Gem and Tait's Ideal for yellow- 
fleshed varieties. Honey Dew is new and good. 

iVtustard— Southern Curled. 

Okra — Perkins Mammoth, and Kleckley's Favorite. The first is green- 
podded and the last white-podded. 

Onions — For early green onions, Norfolk Queen and Pearl. For the earliest 
ripe onions. Yellow Potato. For sowing under glass in winter and trans- 
planting in spring, Prizetaker and Giant Gibraltar. For early spring sowing in 
open ground, Southport Globe, either yellow or white. 

Parsley — Moss Curled. 

Parsnips— Hollow Crown. 

Peppers — For sweet peppers, Pimiento, Ruby King. For hot peppers. Long 
Cayenne and Tobasco. Do not plant hot and sweet near each other. 

Garden Peas — Extra Early Nonpareil, Sutton's Excelsior, Thomas Laxton. 
For late peas, Stratagem, Telephone, and Champion of England. 

Potatoes— Early Irish Cobbler. Beauty, White Bliss. Late potatoes. Rural 
New Yorker No. 2, Sir Walter Raleigh. Plant cold storage seed of the early 
varieties and make seed for the next spring planting. 

Radishes— Early White-Tipped Scarlet turnip. Earliest White Globe. For 
fall and winter sorts. Celestial and Chinese Scarlet. 
Rhubarb — Linnaeus. 
Salsify — Sandwich Island. 
Spinach — Round-Seeded Savoy. 

Tomatoes— For earliest. Bonny Best. For main ciop. Success, Matchless or 
Globe. 

Turnips— For early spring or early fall, Milan; second early. Strap Leaf; 
for winter. Purple Top Globe and Yellow Aberdeen; for ruta bagas, American 

Purple-Top. 

Watermelons— Mclver Sugar or Wonderful, Kleckley Sweet, and Tom 
Watson. 



QUANTITIES OF SEED NEEDED FOR 100 FEET OF ROW 



Asparagrus — One ounce. 
Beans, bush— One quart. 
Beans, pole— One pint in hills. 
Beets— Two ounces. 
Beets, chard- One ounce. 
Canteloupes — Two ounces. 
Carrots — One ounce. 
Celery — One ounce. 
Corn — One pint in hills. 
Cucumbers— One ounce in hills. 
Endive — One ounce. 
Kale — One to two ounces. 
Kohl Rabi — One ounce. 
Leek — One ounce. 



Lettuce — One ounce. 
Mustard — One ounce. 
Okra — One ounce. 
Onion — One ounce. 
Onion Sets — Two quarts. 
Parsley — One ounce. 
Parsnips — One ounce. 
Peas— One quart. 
Potatoes— Four Quarts. 
Radishes — One ounce. 
Salsify — Two ounces. 
Spinach — Two ounces. 
Squash— One ounce. 
Turnips — One ounce. 



112 



MASSEY S GARDEN BOOK 



Of cabbage seed sow one ounce for 3000 plants; of tomato seed, one ounce 

for 1500 plants; egg plant, one ounce for 1000 plants; watermelon, one ounce 

to 25 hills; of rhubard roots put 25 to 100 feet; and of horsehadish, 100 to 100 
feet. 

STORING VEGETABLES 

In the South as a rule not enough attention is given to storing vegetables 
for winter use. I hope the following hints on this subject will be found useful: 

Late Beets — These are better off in the rows where they grow. As the 
weather gets cold throw a light furrow to each side of the rows. 

Carrots— Keep in same way as beets. The frost seems to sweeten them. 

Late Cabbage — These should head in late November or early December to 
keep well in winter. When really cold weather seems at hand turn the heads 
over to the north and cover the stem and lower part of the head with soil. The 
top turned away from the winter sun is left open. 

Collards — Treat in same way as late cabbage. 

Celery — If grown in the Baltimore bed system, the final covering should be 
made just as hard freezing is expected. Then cover the bed well with pine 
straw, using bean poles or corn stalks on top to prevent its blowing oiT. If 
grown in rows the celery should be lifted and set upright in narrow trenches 
made as deep as the celery is tall. Then cover with two planks nailed V-shape 
as a roof, using some straw in cold weather. 

Horseradish — Dig the roots in November. Trim the side roots ofT and tie 
in bunches for spring planting. Grind the main roots for use or sale or ship 
and sell whole. 

Leeks — Let these remain right where they grew, as they are perfectly hardy 
and can be taken up as needed in winter. They are milder than onions and 
make a nice dish till green onions come in the spring. 

Onions— Keep in a totally dark, cold place. Spread out in a tight outhouse 
and covered with pine straw, they will be all right. Slight freezing will do no 
harm but warmth will set them to sprouting. 

Parsnips and Salsify — These are perfectly hardy and should remain right 
where they grew. 

Irish Potatoes — These can be kept in heaps covered with earth enough to 
prevent actual freezing, but maintain a temperature little above freezing. If 
in a cellar, make it totally dark and keep the temperature as low as practi- 
cable without freezing. 

Spinach— To keep spinach in good condition for cutting, a mulch of manure 
between the rows is very good and will keep it growing fresh all winter. 

Turnips — Those wanted for table use should be lifted, trimmed and put in 
heaps and covered with earth. Those sowed for spring greens can be better 
wintered by covering with green pine boughs. 

Sweet Potatoes— These are best kept in a house built for the purpose where 
a high temperature can be maintained till the potatoes are cured and then a 
temperature of 45 to 50 degrees during the winter and total darkness. In banks 
or heaps they should be piled on a thick bed of pine straw, and covered with 
pine straw thickly. Then build a shed over the banks and let stand till the 
weather threatens to turn cold. Then cover thickly with earth. The shed 
will keep the hill dry, and dry earth keeps out frost better than wet. 



HANDY REFERENCE TABLES 



113 



THE NUMBER OF PLANTS TO AN ACRE. 

An acre contains 43,560 square feet. To find the number of plants in an 
acre at any distance apart, multiply the one distance by the other to give you 
the square feet in each space and use this to divide 43,560. Thus 3x3 feet 
makes 9 square feet, which divided into 43,560 gives 4840, the number of plants 
in the acre at these distances. The following table has been calculated for 
almost any distance ever needed. 

No. Plants 
Apart Per Acre 

h 522720 

nches 174240 

h 348480 

nches 116160 

nches 29040 

nches 19360 

nches 261360 

nches 15520 

nch 209088 

nches 34848 

nches 17424 

nches 8712 

nches 9970 

nches 58080 

nches 5808 

nches 6223 

nches 4148 

nches 3556 

nches 7790 

nches 174240 



Distance 


12 by 


1 


12 by 


3 


18 by 


1 


18 by 


3 


18 by 


12 


18 by 


18 


24 by 


12 


24 by 


18 


30 by 


1 


30 by 


6 


30 by 


12 


30 by 


24 


40 by 


30 


36 by 


3 


36 by 


30 


42 by 


24 


42 by 


36 


42 by 


42 


48 by 


18 


6 by 


6 











No. Plants 


Distance Apart 


Per Acre 


1 foot 


bv 


1 


foot 


43560 


1 foot 


bv 


2 


feet 


21780 


1 foot 


by 


3 


feet 


14520 


V/i feet by 


VA feet.... 


19360 


2 feet 


bv 


2 


feet 


10890 


2 feet 


bv 


3 


feet 


7260 


3 feet 


bv 


3 


feet 


4840 


4 feet 


bv 


1 


foot 


10890 


4 feet 


bv 


2 


feet 


5445 


4 feet 


bv 


3 


feet 


3630 


4 feet 


by 


4 


feet 


2722 


5 feet 


by 


5 


feet 


1742 


6 feet 


bv 


6 


feet 


1210 


7 feet 


bv 


7 


feet 


888 


8 feet 


by 


8 


feet 


680 


9 feet 


by 


9 


feet 


537 


10 feet 


bv 


10 


feet 


435 


12 feet 


bv 


12 


feet 


302 


20 feet 


by 


20 


feet 


108 


25 feet 


by 


25 


feet 


60 



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118 



MASSEY S GARDEN BOOK 



A Fall and Winter Garden: How to Have One 

Nearly every farmer has a spring and summer garden, but too many farm- 
ers fail to have a succession of vegetables. Planting for a fall and winter 
garden should really be as important a matter as planting for a spring and 
summer garden. The following table shows when and what to plant for the 
fall and winter garden: 



Vegetable 



Asparagus ... 
Beans (bush) 

Beets 

Cabbage (late). 

Carrots 

Cantaloupe ... 
Celery 



Time of Planting 



(Zbrn Salad 

Cucumber 

Kale 

Lettuce 

Mustard 

Onion (seed) 

Onion (sets) 

Parsley 

Peas 

Potatoes (Irish) . 
Potatoes (sweet) 

Radish 

Spinach 

Salsify 

Tomato 

Turnip 



November 15 — December. 

July — August 15 

June, July 

J uly, September 

June, July 

June, July 15 

August— September 



September — October . 

July 

October — November . 
July and succession. 

October 

October, in frames . . 
September — October . 
August— September . 

August 

July— August 15 

June — July 15 

July and succession. 
September — October . 

July 

June — July 

July — September 



Depth to Plant 



6 to 8 inches 

2 inches 

^-2 inch 

Plants 2 to 4 inches 

Yi inch 

1 inch 

Seed shallow, plants 

2 to 3 inches 
5^ inch 
Vi inch 
Yi inch 
Yi inch 
Yi inch 

1 inch 

2Y2 inches 
Yi inch 

2 inches 

3 to 4 inches 
3 to 4 inches 
Y2 inch 

Yt inch 

Y2 to 1 inch 

Plants 3 to 4 inches 

1 inch 



What to Plant in the Garden each Month 

The following table was prepared for the central part of North Carolina. 
For places in other parts of the South the time of planting should vary from 
one to three weeks, according to location, elevation, etc.: 

Time to Plant 

(Plants marked with a "T" are to be sowed in beds and transplanted.) 

January— Garden peas, kale, mustard, Irish potatoes, radish. 

February— Asparagus roots, beets, carrots, herbs, kale, horse radish, Irish 
potatoes, lettuce, onion, mustard, pepper (T), early peas, rape, radish, spinach, 
spring turnips, strawberry plant. 

March— Artichoke, artichoke roots, asparagus roots, asparagus seed, beet, 
brussels sprouts, corn, cabbage (T), carrot, kale, egg plant (T), herbs, horse 
radish, kale, lettuce (T), mustard, onion (T), onion sets, parsley, parsnip, Eng- 
lish peas, Irish potatoes, pepper (T), rape, radish, spinach, spring turnip, to- 
mato (T), strawberry plants. 

April— Artichoke, artichoke roots, snap beans, lima beans, beet, cabbage, 
broccoli (T), cabbage (T), carrot, celery (T), cauliflower (T), corn, cucumber, 
egg plant (T), endive, horse radish, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, melons, kale, mint 
roots, onion, okra, onion sets, parsley, parsnip, peas, pepper, Irish potatoes, 
radish, salsify, tomato (T), squash, sweet potatoes, strawberry plant. 



WHAT TO PLANT EACH MONTH 119 

May— Snap bean, lima beans, beet, cabbage (T), carrot, corn, celery (T), 
cucumber, kohlrabi, kale, egg plant (T), endive, lettuce (T), melons, mint roots, 
okra, pepper (T), parsley, parsnip, peas, pepper, pumpkin, radish, rape, salsify, 
squash, tomato, sweet potatoes. 

June — Snap beans, lima beans, beet, cabbage (T), collard (T), carrot, celery 
(T), cucumber, corn, lettuce, melons, okra, pumpkin, radish, squash, tomato. 

July — Snap beans, beet, cabbage (T), carrot, collard (T), corn, cucumber, 
Scotch kale, lettuce, okra, pumpkin, radish, salsify, turnip. 

August — Snap beans, beet, Swiss chard, carrot, collard (T), dandelion, kale, 
kohlrabi, mustard, Irish potatoes, rape, radish, spinach, turnip, strawberry 
plants. 

September — Snap beans, beet, cabbage (T), brussels sprouts (T), carrot, 
cauliflower, cress, kale, lettuce (T), mustard, onion (T), onion sets, parsley, 
rape, rutabaga, radish, spinach, turnip, strawberry plants. 

October — Cabbage (T), cauliflower (T), kale, lettuce (T), onion, onion sets, 
rape, radish, spinach, turnip, strawberry plants, turnip for salad. 

November— Broccoli (T), radish, cauliflower (T), mustard, rape, spinach, 
turnip for salad. 

January — Beet, forcing carrot, egg plant, radish, tomato. 



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SPRAYING AND SPRAY FORMULAS 123 

Spraying and Spray Formulas 

(From Bulletin No. 166, South Carolina Experiment Station, "Home Gardening") 

Spraying is just as necessary as cultivation and every gardener should 
therefore be prepared to combat the insects and fungus diseases which attack 
his plants. Frequently one application of spray solution applied at the right 
time at a cost of a few cents will save the entire crop. 

In spraying for insects, it is necessary for the gardener to know just how 
the different insects feed. For practical purposes, the insects may be divided 
into two classes. (1) those which obtain their food by sucking the juice of the 
plant. Insects of this type cannot be destroyed by poisoning. It is, therefore, 
necessary to use a contact insecticide, such as kerosene emulsion. (2) In- 
sects which obtain their food by gnawing or those which eat holes in the 
leaves. Insects obtaining their food in this way may be destroyed by spray- 
ing with a poisonous insecticide such as Paris green or arsenate of lead. 

If one has a small orchard in connection with the garden, it is best to pur- 
chase a barrel pump as this can be used for both the orchard and garden work. 
If only garden vegetables are to be sprayed, then a knapsack pump or some 
other form of pump that will throw out a strong, uniform spray may be used. 
For the small garden, a pump holding from two and one-half to three gallons 
is amply large. 

The following formulas are given for the convenience of the gardener who 
wishes to combat the insect and fungus diseases which appear upon his plants: 

Spray Formulas 
Formula No. 1. Bordeaux Mixture. (Fungicide.) 

Copper sulphate (blue stone) 4 lbs. 

Stone lime 5 lbs. 

Water 50 gals. 

Dissolve the copper sulphate in a small quantity of hot water in an earthen 
or wooden vessel and then dilute to 25 gallons. Slake the lime in a tub or half 
barrel, adding the water gradually so as to slake thoroughly. When the lime 
is in solution dilute to 25 gallons. The two solutions are now poured into a 
barrel at the same time thoroughly mixed. The solution should be strained 
thoroughly before it is put in the spray pump. 

Formula No. 2. Dilute Bordeaux. (Fungicide.) 

Copper sulphate (blue stone) 2 lbs. 

Stone lime 4 lbs. 

Water 50 gals. 

Prepare in same way as formula number one. 

Formula No. 3.— -Kerosene Emulsion. (Contact Insecticide.) 

Hard soap shaved fine ^ lb. 

Water 1 gal. 

Kerosene oil 2 gals. 

Dissolve the soap in one gallon of boiling water. Remove from the fire and 
add two gallons of kerosene oil while the water is hot. Churn this solution 
for 10 minutes with a foot or force pump, during which time it should change 
to a creamy white mass. Keep this as a stock solution using one gallon to 10 
gallons of water for soft bodied insects. 

Formula No. 4.— Paris Green. (Poisonous Insecticide.) 

Paris green 54 1b. 

Slake lime 20 lbs. 

This is to be used dry. It is dusted over the plants by placing in an ordi- 
nary flour sack, which is tied to the end of a hoe handle. The bag is held 
over the plants and slightly jarred by striking the handle with the hand. 
Paris green sifts through the bag and settles over the plants. 



124 



MASSEY S GARDEN BOOK 



Formula No. 5. — Paris Green. (Poisonous Insecticide.) 

Paris green J4 lb. 

Stone lime 4 lbs. 

Water 50 gals. 

Slake the lime in a small quantity of water and then make a thin paste of 
the Paris green by adding a small quantity of water and stirring. This is then 
added to the lime and thoroughly mixed. 

Formula No. 6. — Formaldehyde. (For potato scab.) 

Formaldehyde (40% solution) 8 oz. 

Water 15 gals. 

Place the potatoes in a coarse sack and suspend in this solution for two 
hours. The potatoes are then removed and allowed to dry before being planted 
This treatment is not necessary unless the potatoes are infested with the 
disease. 



BULLETINS ON GARDEN CROPS. 

The following "Farmers' Bulletins" can be had by applying to the "Division 
of Publications, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C." 



Artichokes, 94, 255. 

Asparagus, 61. 94, 256. 

Beans, 121, 425. 

Beets, 94, 255. 

Blackberries, 154, 181. 

Broccoli, 256. 

Brussels Sprouts, 255. 

Budding, 157. 

Building Sweet Potato House, 324. 

Cabbages, 94, 433, 488, 305. 

Canteloupes, 231, 259. 

Carrots, 255, 309. 

Cassava, 167. 

Cauliflower, 94, 255, 256. 

Celery, 94, 282, 133, 148 

Cleft Grafting, 113. 

Cold Frames, 76, 185. 

Collards, 255. 

Cress, 255. 

Cucumbers, 254. 

Figs, 342. 

Garden Irrigation, 263. 

Garlic, 255. 

Grapes, 471 

Home Canning, 359. 



Horseradish, 255. 
Hot Beds, 94, 195. 
Lawns, 248, 494. 
Lettuce, 94, 255. 460. 
Lima Beans, 289 
Melons, 94, 255 .' 
Mushrooms. 204. 
Mustard, 255. 
Nuts, 329, i},2. 
Okra, 94, 255. 256. 
Onions, 39, 354. 384. 
Parsley, 94. 255. 
Parsnips, 94, 255. 
Pepper, 254. 

Potatoes, 92, 386, 35, 225. 
Radishes. 94, 255. 
Salsify, 94, 255. 
Spinach, 94, 255. 
Squash, 94, 255. 
.Sweet Potatoes, 94. 
Tomatoes, 76. 220, 225. 
Turnips, 95, 255. 
Trenching Celerv, 282. 
Trucking, 433, 460, 150, 98. 
Watermelons, 193. 



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C 29 



HOW TO HAVE A PRETTY LAWN 

I.— If You Can Water Regularly and Give Good Attention. 

To those who are willing to give their lawns the proper start and subse- 
quent care, we suggest the following procedure: see that the soil is well- 
drained and all rocks, stumps, and trash are removed, and if the surface 
is irregular with ridges and sinks, a drag should be used to produce a per- 
fectly level surface, or even slope. Give the area a heavy application of 
stable manure in the spring, at the rate of fifty two-horse wagon loads to the 
acre, and turn under deeply; put on a heavy application of water-slaked lime 
or of ground limestone, at the rate of about three tons to the acre, and har- 
row repeatedly with a cutaway harrow; continue this harrowing every two or 
three weeks during the summer. About September 13 to the first of October, 
add ground bone or cottonseed meal at the rate of 1,000 pounds to the acre, 
and harrow again, following the cutaway with a tooth harrow. After this give 
a finishing touch by raking by hand with a fine-tooth rake. When this is done 
sow, at the rate of 100 pounds per acre, a mixture of equal parts of Kentucky 
bluegrass, creeping bent grass, sheep fescue, and perennial rye grass, and 
cover with a compact cedar brush, or by raking again by hand. 

In early spring when the ground is not tooi wet run a roller over the lawn, 
and begin to use a mower as soon as the grass is high enough to cut. The rye 
grass will need cutting once or twice during the late fall. Look out for moles, 
and kill them. Water frequently during the first summer, and take out the 
weeds by hand. In October give another top-dressing of cottonseed meal or 
bone meal; look out for thin and poor spots, and sow more seed after scratch- 
ing the surface with a rake, giving extra fertilization to these places. This 
will give the lawn a start. Its successful continuance will require an equal 
amount of attention and care. 

In watering the lawn do not sprinkle lightly every day, but water thor- 
oughly every four or five days. 

H.— Use Bermuda and Rye Grass In Coastal Plain^ or ff You Can't Water 

Regularly. 

Bermuda is a sun-loving plant, and in shaded lawns will not cause much 
trouble. But in open sunny lawns in the South it is the exception when Ber- 
muda does not enter and gain the mastery. In such a case the wise man will 
accept the decree of fate, and console himself with the thought that Bermuda 
will give a sod that for firmness, evenness, and duration cannot be surpassed 
in the South. Furthermore it has the exceedingly great advantage of not 
requiring water. 

It is, moreover, not difficult to superimpose a winter green lawn on the 
brown Bermuda by sowing in October a generous amount of perennial rye 
grass on the sod, adding at the same time a good application of bone meal or 
cottonseed meal. The rains will beat the seeds down to a foothold, and their 
prompt growth will ofTset the approaching passage of the Bermuda to its 
winter brown. The rye grass, while a temporary perennial, will disappear in 
part during the following season, and should be sowed again each fall. In 
open places under average conditions, we must accept this as the best solution 
of our lawn problem in the coastal plain region of the South. A Bermuda 
grass lawn is best started by sowing the chopped up runners in March. 

III.— In Any Case, Buy and Use a Lawn Mower. 

In any case, buy a lawn mower, and you will have the one thing needful 
to improve the appearance of your home 100 per cent. Simply get rid of the 
sprouts and big weeds and run the mower over whatever comes. The spon- 
taneous summer grasses, even if mixed to some extent with weeds, will give 
you a pretty, green expanse that you will be proud of.— Prof. W. C. Coker. 

127 



